Familiar faces
by Delsch89
Summary: The Courier goes to the Tops to enjoy some music. Little does she know that Tommy has a new entertainer, someone she had never expected to see again. Spoilers. Rated M due to some strong language in later chapters. (Unlikely to be continued on, check profile for why)
1. Familiar faces

_I noticed there were hardly any Dean Domino fics out there and decided to make a small piece. I'm not even sure he was in character but he was fun to write anyway. Not sure either if I'll continue or not either, depends on if a plot comes to mind. xD_

_Dean's so snarky I couldn't help but just adore the guy, despite his past and attitude._

_New Vegas: Dead Money and Dean belongs to Obsidian and Bethesda._

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><p>New Vegas could be the best place in the world, if you had the caps for it and enjoyed its entertainment. Casinos, card games, bright lights, singing and women, or men, if one preferred that. Its neon and white lights stood out in the Mojave, like a beacon. Whether it was a beacon of hope or something else, you could argue however.<p>

The Courier went there often, not because of the numerous ways to waste money. No, she enjoyed the lights and the people. It wasn't dark like out in the Mojave and God knew, she had spent a lot of time out there already.

Granted, the people on the Strip weren't the friendliest out there… some were surely as bad as the raiders and other scumbags she had killed out in the desert. Hell, she'd be surprised if the Legion didn't have more than one spy in there already.

But it didn't matter. She did her best to avoid confrontations with the people there. Only once had she done so, and that was to pay back to the bastard who had shot her in the head. After that little… event, she had been cautious about heading back into the Strip for a while, especially the Tops where she had in fact killed the man.

Her concerns had proven to be misplaced though. So far none had tried to take revenge on her for it, hell, some people even seemed pleased with Benny's death.

Which she was glad for, because the Tops were one of the places she enjoyed going to, despite the memories. More specifically the Aces Theater had her fancy.

But then, she had helped the boss, Tommy, in there with recruiting a few more entertainers. An interesting job for sure and Tommy was so grateful to her now, that she was allowed free entry; as long as she paid for any consumables she might want to get in there.

And she did, sitting in her favorite spot in one of the corners of the room, enjoying a glass of wine, something she rarely did. Running around in the Mojave while under the effects of alcohol? She didn't even want to imagine what could happen.

Unlike many of the female visitors, she wore no dress but rather light, practical clothing, because she never knew when she'd need to be fast. This evening she almost wished she hadn't chosen a discrete clothing though. Things were slow; having some drunken idiot flirt with her would almost have been amusing. At 9 pm, she was mostly just waiting for the Lonesome Drifter to start playing. She did enjoy his guitar playing, a thing she rarely heard beyond the radio music.

She was about to take a sip from the wine when a familiar man sat down in the chair across the table, looking very pleased with himself. Tommy with his black hair, tidy features and eye patch hadn't looked this pleased since she had brought in the new acts for him, which had been a few months ago now.

"Enjoying the show?" he asked amused, leaning his fingertips to each other. The Courier could only arch an eyebrow; hell, he looked as giddy as a schoolboy.

"Well… yeah?" she replied. "What's up? You look very excited about something."

"I got my reasons. Haven't you seen the numerous posters about a special guest star tonight?"

"Oh, right. I did, but… must have slipped my mind. Was a few weeks ago I was here last and I'm rather… slow today," she chuckled, tapping her head with a sigh.

"Hah! Well, you won't be after this. It's going to be so great! I can just see all the money flowing in after this, all the requests and demands. I just hope I can convince him to stay for as long as possible…" Tommy frowned, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. The Courier rolled her eyes, recognizing that scheming look well enough.

"Him who?" she asked.

"You'll see!" he grinned, as he got up on his feet again, walking off while still grinning like a fool. The woman shook her head with a smirk. Money would make any man happy and Tommy sure didn't try to hide it.

So she waited, intrigued as to who this new guest would be, even if it meant her favorite performer's show had been cancelled tonight most likely. About 30 minutes later, Tommy himself went up on the stage, catching the attention of the audience at once and to be honest, there were quite a lot of them here now. At least her table had remained free, giving her ample view to the scene.

"Ladies and Gentlemen," Tommy started as he stopped in front of the microphone, «it is time to introduce our newest addition. A survivor from Pre-War, you've seen his face on old posters, maybe heard old songs… I give you no other than Dean Domino!"

Tommy had barely stepped away from the microphone as the suit wearing ghoul stepped up from behind the stage curtains, causing a wild cheer in the crowd. If someone doubted the genuineness of Dean's presence, they certainly made no notion of it.

The Courier on the other hand, choked and spat out the wine she had been drinking over the table, throwing her hands on it as well in utter shock. What the hell was Dean doing _here_?

Her arms and hands remained outstretched on the table, as she stared at the scene, gaping for surely a minute while Dean did what he did best, started singing, with the faint music in the background.

She finally gathered herself, rubbing her left temple in puzzlement really, as if her brain had a hard time processing it. It did, because she had never expected to see Dean again. Like, ever. Not because they had parted in bad ways, other way around really. But like with the others, she hadn't expected to see any of them again. As if all of Sierra Madre had just been a dream… or a nightmare.

The Courier was so shocked she hardly noticed his singing; after all, she had heard it before, even if it was interesting to see him up there. Tommy had snuck up behind her again, looking as smug as a mole rat in its den. He did arch an eyebrow at the Courier's rubbing her eyebrow.

"Not the kind of reaction I had expected," he admitted, as he sat down next to her, keeping his tone quiet.

"Huh? Oh. Just… shocked," she laughed it off quickly. Shock sure as hell didn't cover it. Tommy looked up towards the scene, smirking slyly.

"Well, don't look now but I think you've caught his attention," he snickered.

"_What?"_ she exclaimed with such force that Tommy nearly jumped back in his chair. She followed his look, up to where Dean was standing, occasionally turning his head to the side enough to indicate that he most likely had recognized her. Despite the dark sunglasses, it surely felt as if he _was_ looking at her. The chance of her not being discovered were even slimmer with the place's manager sitting next to her.

_Shit_. Although Tommy had taken her shock as interest, it was far from it. She had learned enough from Sierra Madre and Dean himself to know he wasn't someone you wanted get the attention of. Especially out here, where he would quickly grow popular enough to become a powerful enemy to anybody who got in his way.

Parting on good terms, yes, but that had been in Sierra Madre and with the intention of never meeting again. Out here… she wondered if he would be just as 'friendly' now that his life wasn't at stake anymore. She would have left the Theater, if it wasn't for the fact that Tommy was sitting next to her and she didn't want to make him upset. Not to say she doubted he'd let her leave if he now thought Dean had an interest in her. He could probably make more caps out of that, somehow.

What was worse, she was curious as to why Dean would even pay attention to her at all. He didn't need her help anymore, and hell, she wasn't anything near him when it came to popularity and charisma. Nothing good could come out of this…

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><p>When the music and singing stopped, Tommy went back up to the scene, talking about what a great performance it had been and giving out more information to the audience. Dean on the other hand went to the side on the scene, pushing one of the drapes to the side, before he looked back at the courier. He crooked a finger for her to come with him, which was certainly aimed at her because none else was sitting between them.<p>

Reluctantly, the Courier got up and followed through the drapes, even as Dean had exited the stage behind them by now. This surely would cause shitloads of rumors, she sighed. One more or less really.

She spotted him walking down the corridor with his hands behind his back before he took a turn into a room. She caught up, pausing for a second before stepping inside the room. His stage room, she quickly realized.

Dean was already sitting down in one of the comfortable chairs in the room, lightning up a cigar, a habit he had dragged all the way from Sierra Madre; probably since before the war.

"Sit, please," he said, gesturing for the chair across of him and the small table between them.

The Courier arched an eyebrow, before she leaned down a bit to check under the chair.

Dean scoffed, as she eventually sat down on it, with her arms folded across her chest.

"Really. There are no explosives this time around. You think I prepare an explosive chair in case I find someone I do not like, to blow up?" he asked coolly. "Although, there are several I don't like here already…" he added more quietly.

"Sorry, old habits die hard," the woman smirked briefly.

"So now you check every chair you come across, hm?"

"Just around people I think might want me dead."

"Dead? You think I want you dead?" Dean chuckled. "We're partners! Or… were at any rate. I hope you haven't forgotten. I'm not sure how many blows you might have taken to your head since we last met."

The Courier rolled her eyes; at least he hadn't changed much. It was a relief at the same time as it was worrying.

"I can't see any other motive for you to want to speak to me," she said carefully.

"Is it so strange? You showed yourself more capable than the other morons back in Sierra Madre," he huffed. "Brainless lumps, all of them!"

The Courier figured she could be happy with that answer. Coming from Dean, it was an accomplishment, as she knew what he did to people 'better' than him.

"Alright, I can accept that. Why New Vegas though?"

"And why not?" Dean laughed. "You told me about New Vegas, you know, and I'm not about to go to _any_ place. I need casinos, an audience… gullible people."

He tapped the cigar to the ashtray on the table, leaning forward a bit, as he noticed her somewhat suspicious frown.

"Sorry, the world doesn't revolve around you, my dear," he smirked amused.

The Courier downright narrowed her eyes this time, at his assuming she figured it was because she was in New Vegas.

"That's _not_ what I meant, Dean," she said, though it was difficult to remove the frown from her face. He probably would have taken offense by it, if it wasn't for the fact her protest was so… shallow.

"What I did mean is that why leave Sierra Madre?" she continued, mostly to get rid of that annoying smirk from his face. Perhaps not the best question to ask but anything worked.

"I spent many, many decades in there before you came. There's only so much I can take of the place and after you departed… well ,a lot of the mysterious were opened up. I explored a little, find out about some things," he explained, as he looked beyond her for a moment, as if recalling back to those days. His attention was returned to her very quickly though.

"I… let go," he said amused, flickering his hand along with the cigarette in the air for a moment. "So I came here, where I assumed I could find the things I need. Quite recently got here so I haven't been able to take in much of the… scenery. Not that it's anything like it was before the war, but I guess I'll have to make due. I mean, you're surviving here and you're not exactly a star."

He got up from the chair suddenly, dropping the cigarette in a trashcan before opening the fridge.

"Granted, it's easier to actually enjoy things here than in Sierra Madre," he admitted, as he returned with two glasses and a wine bottle. "With all the Ghost people… out of the way…" he continued, as he poured wine in both glasses, taking one for himself before gesturing for her to take the other.

She did, if mostly to be polite for now.

"So you're going to stay here for a while?" she asked casually.

"Yes, I think so. Lucky for you, huh? Like I've said before, being my partner pays off. Having me in town can be good for you. In many ways."

"Should have come to me before you found Tommy then. Could have scored a lot of caps by suggesting you," she said smugly, as she took a sip from the glass.

"Hah, you're his little errand girl then?" Dean huffed amused. "He mentioned that many of these so called 'talents' was found by one person. Should have known it was you. You'll need to visit here more often now that I'm here, in order to work on that horrible taste of yours."

He lifted the glass in his hand briefly, studying it in the light, before looking back to her.

"Being partners with you was certainly worthwhile, on both ends," he said thoughtfully. "If I were to suggest it again, you'd be a fool to say no," he smirked.

The Courier arched an eyebrow at him, somewhat relaxed now that it seemed he wasn't out to kill her. Was she a fool? No, but Dean wasn't someone you recklessly stayed around. Of course, all of her life was reckless already. What more harm could come from that?

"Well, I am no fool…" she said slowly, smiling almost mischievously.

"A toast then! To future partnerships," he smirked with a nod, lifting his glass.


	2. Would he lie?

**Not too much Dean in this one. Just me trying to work out a plot that'll have to due! Pfft, main thing is to get a reason to write them being in the same space all the time... xD**

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><p>A week after the startling visit over at the Tops, the Courier spent the night at the Lucky 38's suite, supplied by Mr. House. It was a good place to live in, certainly safe with all the securitrons outside and inside the building.<p>

Her room was filled with various things that she had found during her travels. A toy dinosaur from Novac, numerous still readable books and magazines and a chessboard with a few of the actual chess pieces on it occupied one of the shelves to the wall.

Another smaller shelf had a few tribal-looking items on it, as well a feather covered cap. Next to them there was a small, plastic can with a red, cloudy substance in it, an improvised old whiskey bottle with a disgusting looking liquid in the same reddish color, several casino chips and a real gold bar.

Beyond all the random Pre-War items and other, newer ones, the room was basically littered with weapons, ammo and armor. Several knives were spread across a table, picked apart or temporarily taped together. The same went with most of the armor, constantly being reshaped and fixed to create a new, even better armor set.

Even if she wasn't as good with repairing as Raul was, despite what he might say, she was a bit more creative with helpful mods and such, something everyone appreciated really.

The Courier was currently sitting at the main desk in the room, going through old notes that she had written now and then. Most of them were reminders or means of help to keep memories and old promises or debts organized. Writing served to relax her a bit, which had helped a lot during any longer travels, like the trip to Zion or Sierra Madre.

Most notes about the latter had been written afterwards, for her memory's sake, but a few of them had been written during the few breaks in Sierra Madre, as paper and pens hadn't been difficult to find among the rubble. The peace to write however had been ten times more difficult to come up with.

She tucked her short, black hair over her shoulder to remove it from her face, as she picked up one of the notes, reading it through.

"_Regret ever being curious at that damn radio transmission. Can't believe I__ miss the Mojave's scorching sun and waste spaces. Claustrophobic in here. Finding a safe place to rest near impossible. Don't trust these new 'friends'. God mutters about either Dog or human greed. Christine is still suspicious of me. Dean's probably pondering the best way to insult everyone. If it wasn't for the collars, we probably would have killed each other already. Don't care about them, only enough to not let anyone die. God damn that radio transmission. God damn my curiosity."_

She put the note back down, as it brought her back to the first night in the Sierra Madre. A horrible time frankly, so she wasn't surprised she hadn't been thinking much about it since she had left, two months ago. The Courier looked back down at the notes, pushing some to the side to pick up another that had been written when she had returned to the bunker and had been resting for a day.

"_Can't believe I made it. Seriously, I'd rather face a pack of Deathclaws in the Quarry than having to go back into that hell hole again. By all rights, I should toss everything I brought with me into the nearest trashcan but… damn, why do I have to be such a packrat. The gold bar is nice though. I bet Dean would have strangled me for getting one. Was kind of hoping they'd be waiting for me. Someone at least. Maybe I took too long. Maybe they assumed I was dead. Maybe they escaped without as much as looking back. Well, I'm back at least. Back to the Mojave and glad for it. Better just put it all behind me. Will have to head back and tell the gang I'm alright as soon as possible. Can barely move at the moment though. Will have to rest more."_

The Courier dropped the note among the others as she got up on her feet to head over to the shelf which contained the few items from the trip there. The gold bar was as heavy as it had been before and the cloud can as ominous. She smiled amused as she grabbed the whiskey bottle with the horrible liquid consisting of… what was it again? She hadn't bothered to remember it anymore, since she wouldn't need to out here.

It had been disgusting anyway, so why save it? Why save anything from such a nightmare trip? Well, that answer she'd never find, because she saved everything she could. She was sure there was even a tucked away tin can somewhere just because it had contained something funny or weird.

_Damn packrat. _

Anything Pre-war related fascinated her, whether it was items or living things. It probably also explained why she went along so well with Raul. She could spend hours listening to any stories of his.

She put the bottle back where it was, before leaving the room, humming a song quietly as she did so. Most of the others were asleep at this hour, although Rex jumped up to follow her as soon as she moved into the kitchen. Wagging his tail, he sat down next to her whenever she paused, until she bent down to pet him with an almost sad smile.

Once she had gotten some food in her, she returned to her room, shutting the door after her. Sleep wouldn't come easily now that she had provoked her mind like this; vivid memories of Ghost people chasing her down the streets were just one of them.

The next day, pretty much just ten minutes after she had woken up, Victor came through the elevator door, pausing outside it. Normally he'd roll after her but since she had just exited the bathroom, she paused herself to look at him with an eyebrow arched. The blue metal securitron looked as dirty and ragged as he always did. Just as when he had saved her life, whether it had been due to Mr. House's orders or not.

"Howdy, friend," he greeted her, as she nodded in return briefly.

"I hope you had a pleasant night's sleep. Also, there's a man outside who wants to talk to you."

The Courier arched the other eyebrow too now, looking at him like an idiot.

"Who?" she finally asked.

"Don't reckon I know. Looks like a messenger," the robot said and he would probably have shrugged if he was capable of it.

"I'll talk to him," she sighed, as she walked past the robot and went down to the first floor with him. The man standing outside was skittish; she recognized the type at once. She had seen it in some of the new couriers, eager to get the message or package off their hands for various reasons, whether it was payment or because it was hazardous.

"What do you want?" she calmly asked him, as he jumped a little before he looked around.

"Are you… _the_ Courier?"

"I… guess so? How many couriers live inside the Lucky 38?"

"Uhm… one," the man said quickly, as he handed her a letter so fast it was a wonder he didn't stab it through her. She gave it a look before glancing up at the man again who was tipping back and forth on his feet now.

"What?" she asked, almost tersely.

"He said you'd pay for it. 500 caps."

Whoever had sent the mail would sure hear from her. Or at least it had better be a damn good reason why she would pay 500 caps for a bloody letter. She wasn't worried about fraud, because if it was a fake letter, either she or Victor would make short work of the bastard. Thanks to having aided Mr. House, she had been given a bit more free reigns regarding the securitrons and the rules of the Strip, as long as she didn't start killing people needlessly.

She tossed over five small pouches with a 100 caps in each, to the man, before she opened the letter. He made a move to start walking away when Victor touched his shoulder, making him stay to look puzzled at the robot and then to the Courier who was reading the paper.

"_Got a job for you, partner. Find me as soon as possible._

_D"_

The Courier frowned, as she crumbled the note in her hand, looking back out over the street. Combined with the phrase 'partner' and the D, she knew exactly who had sent for her. She nodded to Victor who let the man be on his merry way, probably to buy booze for all the caps.

"If anyone asks, I went out on an errand," she told Victor quickly, as she almost stormed past him. It was a strange sensation, being both annoyed at Dean's letting her pay that much and the fact she already looked forward to talk to him again.

"As you wish," he called after her before going back to stand guard by the door.

It took her mere minutes to cross the gates and streets to the Tops, storming through the door as well. The door guard, a familiar face by now, had barely left the counter to take her weapons away due to the security rules in the building, when she slammed her only pistol onto the counter. She gave him a brief nod before walking past him, leaving him looking on in confusion after her.

Luckily the theater was open as well, so she went inside, momentarily surprised by the lack of people in there for once. Granted it was morning and the first show didn't really start until after noon.

Tommy was discussing something with the barkeeper in the room, before he waved over at the Courier, looking as excited as ever.

"Mr. Domino is waiting for you in his room," he said, not without a mischievous smirk. The Courier snorted loudly, as she pushed away the scene curtains to find the corridor and eventually his room. At least the ghoul was awake, standing in front of a desk mirror with a few pairs of sunglasses laid across the desk.

She paused at the door, folding her arms across her chest. No doubt he had seen her in the mirror but he continued to casually inspect one of the glasses in his hand, before briefly swapping them out with his old ones. He had bent down a bit while making the swap so she had barely seen anything of his face, before he turned around.

"Ah, the messenger finally found his way to you. I was getting worried," he said calmly. "Been two days ago since I gave it to him, after all."

"Really, Dean?" she frowned. "500 caps for a letter? Couldn't you have paid for that? I'm sure your payment per show is more than 500!"

"Don't be ridiculous, of course it's a lot more," he huffed, not really improving on her frown. "I wanted to make sure that the letter landed in the right hands. Money worked well before the War, it still does, even if its… looks have changed. Besides, are you honestly going to tell me you are in short supply of money?"

"… No."

"Then what are you complaining about? Besides, my work for you is going to be paid in caps, a lot more than 500."

He moved away from the desk to stand a short distance in front of her, keeping his hands behind his back. She spotted a pistol in his belt, so obviously his paranoia hadn't been cured since the Sierra Madre. At least the pistol was new and advanced, probably one of the tougher ones.

"If you're done with the sulking, maybe I can go into the details?" he asked smoothly, as she rolled her eyes.

"Fine. But I haven't agreed to anything yet."

"You will. I recently learned that an old friend of mine is still alive, most likely he's a ghoul like me," Dean explained as he pulled out a cigarette to light it up, before taking a smoke during the pause. "I was hoping the war had killed him off, but alas… I'm not that lucky. He's… got something of mine. I want it back."

"Let me guess, you want me to fetch it for you? _Courier and_ all," she said, gesturing with her fingers.

"Yes… and no. See, I want to meet the bastard myself, if only to see his face when he realizes I'm still alive. I want you… to bring me to him."

The Courier looked at him, studying his face; what she could see of it, to see if he was joking or not. When it became clear he wasn't, she lifted her hand to her face, rubbing the brink of her nose.

"That's not… really what I do, you know. It'd make more sense for me to bring him to you, even if that's not my style either," she said.

"What do you prefer? An unwilling idiot who you most likely will have to carry across the Mojave, or someone who will walk on his own without yapping? And at least be pleasant company."

"Point taken. But it still doesn't make sense. You must want to meet with him badly, if you're willing to cross the Mojave for it. Which I can tell you isn't a walk in the park."

Dean was holding the cigarette between his fingers now, giving her a skeptical look.

"Sometimes you seem to forget I fended for myself in the Sierra Madre against Ghost people for what? 200 years?" he chuckled. "I can handle… hardships. Also, is that expression still kicking around? Glad to hear it."

The Courier wanted to say that although Sierra Madre had been a horrible place, the Mojave could be just as bad if things really went to hell. But to be honest… if she agreed, it'd be more fun to let Dean face that reality himself. Besides, he wouldn't much appreciate her telling him of it to start with.

"Why me, Dean?" she asked instead. "With the amount of money you got, you could hire actual guards to bring you there."

"I don't trust 'guards'. I've seen you in action, I know that whatever you do, you'll do it at 100%. Exactly what I need."

"So I take it you trust me then?" she asked, amused.

"I didn't say that, now, did I?" he said, folding his arms across his chest, especially since she still looked amused. She slowly changed it to a look of thoughtfulness though, wondering if_ she_ trusted him. Though to be honest he had had several chances to kill her already.

"That'd better be a lot of caps, Dean," she frowned eventually, as he grinned.

"Of cooourse. Maybe you'll even learn something from the trip. Very likely you will, actually."

"I hope so," she rolled her eyes; referring to whether she'd learn to be less trusty of shady characters like himself.

"Would I lie?"

"Yes, Dean. Yes, you would."

The ghoul contemplated this for a moment.

"Probably," he agreed afterwards. "Why don't you be a good girl and fetch whatever we might need for such a trip? I'll meet you outside the Tops tomorrow morning. How about 6am? Less… unsavory people out at that hour… I'd rather not have a trail of morons following us."

"Yeah, sure," she nodded, before bidding him goodbye and leaving the room to head back to the Lucky 38. This would be _such_ a thrilling trip, she thought, resisting the urge to facepalm herself. Nothing but utter madness.


	3. Plans fail

_So, yes, more Dean now in the chapters; a lot more. This is mixed news, since while I love the character, I'm not sure I look forward to trying to figure out his character... xD_

_If anyone have any pointers feel free to voice them, just please in a friendly way._

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><p>"So, let me see if I got this straight. You're going to escort this man across the Mojave. So far, it sounds like a regular job. But from what you've told me… wasn't he a complete bastard?"<p>

The Courier looked at Raul calmly while he voiced his concerns, understandable enough. It was very early in the morning, shortly before 6am and she was doing her last checkup of the bag she was bringing with her. It contained mostly ammo, food and water, but not too much of it. She knew several paths across the Mojave by now and they usually had water and wildlife to shoot.

"He is, but he has his charms too," she smirked amused. "Besides, jobs have been few lately and we need the caps."

"Getting yourself killed isn't worth caps, Ash," the ghoul frowned back at her, as she merely shrugged. She got up on her feet afterwards, pulling the pack over her shoulder.

_Ash._

Her… 'name' if you will. Very few knew her real name after all and she preferred it that way.

"You worry too much, Raul. I trust you'll be keeping an eye on the rest while I'm gone?"

"Sure. I'll be a real _papa_ to them," he rolled his eyes. None of her companions needed to be 'looked' after but Ash simply was like that. Concerned. Valued her friends.

The black haired woman grinned amusedly.

"Don't be like that," she told him off gently, as she turned towards the elevator, waving with her hand over her shoulder. Victor waited there, ready to take her down to the street. Once there, she waved at him too before making her way over to the Tops.

If she expected anything from Dean it was that he'd be punctual and she was right. The ghoul was waiting outside already, bidding his time with a cigar. He tossed it to the side though upon her approach.

"Finally," he said although she was pretty punctual herself. He eyed the bag on her back, as well as the weapons she carried.

"That's, uh, not a whole lot for a trek across the Mojave," he pointed out, with a hint of concern in his voice. Ash looked over her shoulder, not sure he meant the bag or the weapons.

"I'm carrying four types of weapons, Dean," she frowned back at him, deciding for on the latter. "Unfortunately I'm not a Brahmin," she added drily.

"That'd be a sight."

"I'm sure."

She was glad to spot the pistol in his belt again and a knife on the other side. At least he wasn't going to be entirely defenseless. However, why he had decided to travel across the desert in his usual attire was beyond her. It wasn't like someone would care out there. But then, he had probably done fine in the Sierra Madre with it.

"Alright, let's get moving. The more ground we can pass cover while it's still light outside, the better," she said, as she started to move through the Strip, followed by the ghoul. They'd have to pass all of Freeside to even get outside of New Vegas; it was an area where getting attacked by thugs was a high possibility, to say the least.

"I suppose seeing New Vegas in this state must have been a small shock for you," she said, while keeping an eye out for the so called thugs. At this hour, every bedroll on the streets and along the walls were was occupied by someone, whether it was an inhabitant or a wanderer. But it didn't mean everyone was asleep.

"Not really. Wasn't all that hard to figure out that the bombs would leave more or less desirable effects on the world. Although I had assumed it would be a larger city than from what you told me."

"It is large," Ash frowned a bit, as she looked over her shoulder at him.

"Las… or rather New Vegas was a lot larger Pre-War. I guess for your standards it's considered large though. Doesn't take much to impress you people, clearly. There's no class and style these days."

Ash jumped as they rounded a corner of an old brick house; a scrawny-looking man dressed in patched together clothes had jumped out in front of her, holding a kitchen knife in his hands. His whole face screamed of poverty, with scars, unkempt stubble and dirt. So did his clothes too actually.

"Gimme your caps or get gutted," he demanded, waving the knife towards her. Ash could see at once, judging by his horrible stance and balance that he wouldn't have time to move forward with the knife before she'd have a weapon out herself.

"I wouldn't do that, pal," she said coolly, reaching down for the pistol in her belt. Sure, the man moved forward but stopped moments before the barrel of her pistol was aimed to his head. At least he seemed smart enough to realize that he wouldn't be able to reach her before she had shot him, considering there was still a good one metre meter between them. Regardless, she was ready to move out of the way if he'd charge but runts like this usually didn't take risks like that.

"Get lost," she huffed, gesturing with the gun to the side briefly. The man couldn't believe his luck, scurrying off before she could change her mind. As he ran off, she looked after him, not holstering the weapon until he was out of sight. That's when she looked back at Dean, who hadn't really reacted all that much, sure of her abilities as he was.

"Class and style won't save your ass today," she said with a small smirk, before she turned around again to continue forward. Dean grunted something under his breath.

After that little event, they got outside of Freeside without any further problems and Ash paused outside, lifting her arm to check the Pip-Boy on it, map and all. Dean had yet to give her the very exact location of this 'friend' of his so she only knew somewhat where to bring them. It was basically across all of the Mojave though.

She lowered her arm before correcting the bag over her back.

"Alright. Unless you'll agree to carry something, we'll have to take this slow. I can only move so fast in this current setup and I don't think you want me to be exhausted every five minutes," she spoke up calmly, looking at him.

"Just how slow are we talking?"

"Getting to your destination will take a little over a week. That is, if everything goes as planned. Which it usually doesn't."

"Well, I'm all for you _not_ being exhausted so hand over a weapon or something. Least that way I can stay more protected…"

Ash rolled her eyes, handing over one of the rifles on her back. Dean looked it over, before strapping it over his back with some awkwardness, as if he didn't think it belonged there. It probably didn't because if she recalled right, he preferred pistols.

"So we're just going to walk?" he asked.

"Yep."

"Just… walk."

"Yes…"

"You people need to start inventing cars again. Or go find horses."

"What the hell is a horse?"

Dean let out a long sigh.

"Never mind," he said afterwards, waving it off. Ash wasn't about to push him, mostly because she didn't want to do too much talking out here among the house rubbles and debris. She wanted to pay attention to any strange sounds from it. But she'd need to remember to ask him about it, fascinated with pre-war things as she was.

However as time went on and morning became afternoon, the scenery changed from rubbles to near desert, beyond a few cliffs and abandoned shacks here and there. With more view of their surroundings, Ash didn't really much mind talking and a conversation had been going on for the last while between them. Otherwise it hadn't really been more than some questions and explanations. She certainly hadn't strayed anywhere the subject of the Sierra Madre, for her own sake.

"… And that's how Mr. House basically kicked NCR in the ass… and away from the Hoover Dam, in a way," the woman explained, gesturing with her hands in front of her as they walked along the still cracked up, main road. She didn't really know how they had gotten into the subject of Mr. House, probably because it was a pre-war subject they both had heard about.

"And you left New Vegas under the rule of a… computer… or whatever he is," Dean frowned.

"He's the one who saved New Vegas. I had no interest in taking the city away from him," Ash shrugged. "Also, one of his securitrons sort of… saved my life. Probably for more reasons than being 'nice', but I'm not really picky."

"But you still work for him?"

"Technically, yes. If he or his securitrons can't do something, I'm the one who does it."

"So you work for the thing that controls the casinos…"

Dean was looking thoughtful by now and Ash rolled her eyes.

"I'm not helping you rob them," she announced before he could really finish the thought. "So do me a favor and don't attempt it yourself. I'd hate to be the one who needs to fix you."

"_Fix me_?" Dean repeated with a cackle. "So if your boss ordered you to kill me, you'd do it?"

"I didn't say kill. I'd make you stop or leave."

"My dear, if I got the idea to actually… do something illegal in the casinos, there'd be precious little you could do to stop me."

"I could just shoot you?" Ash suggested coolly, as the ghoul's smirk merely widened.

"Don't kid yourself. You're too nice for that," he waved it off afterwards, not missing her ongoing scowl at his words.

"Or are you going to disagree about that?" he asked coolly.

Ash turned her attention forward to the road they were following before letting out a grumpy sound.

"Well, no. You're right, I wouldn't shoot you. But I have other ways," she shrugged, determined not to lose her face.

"Granted, you'd probably blow me up before that," she added knowingly. She smirked as Dean moved his right hand to rub the brink of what was left of his nose.

"You're going to be using that for a long time, aren't you?" he asked with just the slightest hint of vexation.

"Yep."

They fell into silence after that, only the sound of their footsteps and the wind faintly blowing around them being heard. Familiar sounds to Ash anyway, but it wasn't Raul or Boone she'd see if she looked behind her. She did glance behind her, noticing how Dean seemed bothered by something, now that he assumed she wasn't looking. Probably not used to walking so far. It was afternoon, but at least a few hours until it would start getting dark.

Ash knew this well, after so much time out here. So when the sky started to get darker without it being close to actual evening, she got puzzled. She stopped suddenly, looking around, hearing Dean pause as well although he seemed less concerned and looked at her questioningly inquisitively.

"I hope it's not what I think it is," the woman muttered suddenly, as she thought she felt the wind had picked up as well now. And it was picking up fast.

"Think what is what?" Dean asked tersely.

Ash didn't answer him at first, as she suddenly left the road, heading towards a few large buildings further off, indicating marking an old, small village. As they approached it, a few startled birds flew up from the dirt covered streets. It seemed abandoned enough, but one couldn't be too sure. There were no fresh corpses or tracks of anyone, humans or animals. The only real sign of life, beyond the birds, were a few skeletons resting against one of the house walls.

She pulled out the pistol from its holster in her belt, just in case something'd jump up on them.

"Would you care to explain what you're doing?" Dean demanded now, keeping his hand on his pistol as well, although he hadn't moved it from its holster yet.

"Finding a shelter. There's a sandstorm coming and it's coming fast," Ash explained, as they moved through the main street fast. She couldn't hear or see anything, beyond the increasing wind around them.

"Hmph, perfect," Dean muttered annoyed, as it was indeed approaching them fast. What had been clear daylight before was now clouded and sand was already being whirled up wherever it could. A few wooden signs, hanging along the houses were creaking ominously, creating a rather eerie atmosphere even without the approaching sandstorm.

Ash stopped outside what seemed to be the main building, probably the village's former townhouse or something. She pushed the door open, wincing as the sand was now blowing up in her face and unlike Dean she didn't have any glasses to protect her eyes.

"Get in there!" she told Dean, after having peeked inside briefly. The ghoul obeyed with some reluctance; helping her shut the door once she had stepped inside as well.

"Like I said, things rarely go as planned…" Ash muttered, as she brushed the sand and dust off her shoulders and hair. Dean was doing the same, just in a more elegant matter while he looked around in the large hallway they had ended up in.

"For how long does those things usually last?" he asked, glancing down at her.

"Several hours, maybe more. It'll be dark in a few hours though, so we might as well rest of for the night," the woman shrugged calmly. "And hope the building's sturdy enough for a sandstorm. Come now, there should be a kitchen or something around here."

* * *

><p><em>Next chapter will be quite amusing I think!<em>


	4. Distraction

_I usually don't update this fast, but I had been writing a lot of this chapter already before chapter 2 and 3 were done so... _

_I enjoyed writing it and I won't share just what hilarious images passed in my head at that time._

_I'd reckon Dean would know about this subject. . Well, he does now._

* * *

><p>The whole building definitely had the feel of having been abandoned long ago. The hallway they stood in contained a lot of chairs and a desk in the middle with a broken computer on it. It didn't seem to have been tampered with for ages and there were no traces on the dusty floor.<p>

Ash went to investigate the terminal, frowning when she realized why none had used it. It still had an old password attached to the contents. For the sake of her own curiosity, she started to hack it, partly aware that Dean was moving around her, until he walked further into the hallway that led out to a corridor further off.

She was tempted to call out to him that walking away like that could be dangerous. Even though he could take care of himself, somewhat at any rate, his life was her responsibility right now. Focusing on hacking the computer, she quickly managed with it because, frankly, the password wasn't all that complicated and she had always had it easy hacking computers, despite being a bit slow in other things. All she actually found in it though were a few town related files from Pre-War, along with an invitation to a feast that was to be in the town hall at one point. With singing, dancing and excellent food, being three of the main reasons to go there.

She shut the computer off again, walking over to Dean who was casually looking into the corridor, before he glanced back at Ash.

"Well?" he asked, as she peered around the corner as well.

"Nothing hugely important in the computer. There was supposed to be a feast of some sorts here. On the 23th October 2077," she explained warily, as she rounded the corner.

The corridor had chairs all along the walls and most of them were… occupied with skeletons. Skeletons with scant remains of clothes. Those that had been knocked over something had shattered some of their bones, leaving piles of them on the floor.

"Must have been some killer entertainment," Dean said drily, breaking the silence after both had looked at the scene for a few moments. Ash rolled her eyes at the bad joke, before walking further into the corridor. Its right end led to a very large room, much larger than the hall had been. Like the corridor, it had chairs placed along the sides of the walls and the floor… the floor looked different somehow.

She crouched down to touch it and despite the cracks and obvious wear after so many years, it seemed to be made of a different material, something smoother than regular floor planks.

"Interesting," she mumbled to herself, as Dean stepped past her, all the way to the middle of the room. The room seemed to have a certain aura of elegance to it. The windows, although covered with boards long ago, still had some ragged curtains hanging from them. The corners of the walls had old speakers attached to them and at a closer look right next to her, there was a table with a few different radios on them, most of them smashed to pieces though.

She looked up again, watching Dean kick briefly into the floor, looking thoughtful.

"Radio based performances," he said suddenly, frowning a bit. "Not even a scene for the entertainers…"

"What are you talking about?" Ash asked puzzled. Dean extended his hands, gesturing around him.

"This is a… dance room if you so will," he explained. Loudly too. "Probably for the best too; not good enough acoustics in here."

"But there's no stage. No one would see the dancers… well dance," she protested.

"People would dance with _each other_ in here. It was quite common before the bomb; I'd assume it still is?"

"Perhaps in towns; personally I'm surprised I have even the faintest idea what you're talking about. Not everyone dance… can they?"

"Well, no. Some people have no talent on a dance floor at all," Dean waved patiently. "But it can usually be learned. It's another elegant way of expressing yourself, much like singing. Am I to guess you're completely oblivious to the charm of dancing then?"

"I don't dance no, never have and never will. Nor would I ever sing."

"Don't sing," Dean protested too fast, as he walked back over to her. "I don't think you have the voice to carry a tune."

Ash folded her arms across her chest now, arching an eyebrow.

"We can't _all_ be glorious singers, Dean," she said coolly. "Are you done here? We should go find the kitchen in this place."

"Why the rush? We're stuck here till the sandstorm passes, aren't we? Might as well have some fun while at it.

"Dancing's _not_ fun."

"How do you know, if you haven't tried it? Come now, I can teach you to dance. I said you'd learn something from the trip, dancing might as well be the first. A little elegance wouldn't kill you, you know."

"Dean, I'm not dancing."

"From what I gathered during our walk today, you have an uncanny fascination with things before the bomb. I'm offering to teach you something of it and you'll say no?" he asked smugly, folding his arms across his chest, as the woman narrowed her eyes quickly.

"I'll only offer this once," he added calmly, moving a bit and reaching out with his hand towards her, palm up.

Ash was scowling, stuck between her curiosity and pride. Dancing seemed so… ridiculous and even if she had been just the faintest tempted when watching Tommy and his dancers perform, she hadn't imagined herself ever doing it. It just didn't fit into this world where the only important skills were how to survive. Everything else seemed moot.

So why was she collecting random junk if everything pre-war was 'moot'? Why be so curious about the era? She couldn't possibly say no really, because she had never turned down any pre-war opportunities before.

Muttering something under her breath, she pulled the bag off her shoulder; dropping it to the floor gently. There was still a moment's hesitation as she took his hand, but she wasn't really known for being a coward either.

That it was Dean mattered little. Had it been Raul suggesting it, she would have treated it with just as much suspicion. Probably more because although Raul was great, was better with talking people into his own ways.

…Blackmailing or not.

He brought her out on the middle of the floor, before he let go of her to gesture towards the pip-boy.

"I think that thing has speakers, yeah?" he asked. "Can't really dance without music."

Ash sighed, as she looked at the pip-boy. Dean might not be aware of it but every time he said music, he sounded so downright home with it. Even the word flowed so naturally.

"I'm surprised you're not having fits of laughter yet, you know," she frowned at him, as she turned on one of the radio channels.

"This is to my own interest. I can only travel with a savage for so long."

"I'm no savage!" Ash protested, her patience regarding insults growing thin in this awkward situation.

"I apologize. An uneducated woman then."

"Fine."

"With some savage tendencies."

"I'll go savage on your ass if you continue like that," she frowned, not really serious but it wasn't far off. Dean actually arched an eyebrow.

"Really?" he finally asked amused.

"God dammit, Dean!"

"Alright, time to put this show on the road before you get more… unpleasant. Don't worry about a thing, I'll lead, you just follow… and keep an eye on your feet."

"Why?"

"Because you'll be using them. Hopefully."

He grabbed her hand again, putting it on his shoulder before grabbing her other hand to stretch it out to the side a bit, without letting go. His free hand went to her waist, before he glanced down at her feet briefly. He used his own foot to separate her feet a bit, sighing.

"Stiff as a rock," he commented, making her frown quickly. Ash was looking at his face, but once he moved to the side suddenly, matching the music from the pip-boy and pulling her with him, she was forced to turn her attention to her feet, giving them a near panicked look. Dean seemed to move naturally across the floor, annoyingly enough.

"You need to relax," he said after a while, not even looking at her; he was busy seeing where they were actually going. "You're not this tense when you move or fight and I've seen you do both."

"This is different," Ash grumbled, still paying attention to her feet.

"Is it now? It's still movement; it's still about the grace. Only difference is that you're not currently fighting for your life."

_Grace, my ass._

"Too much movement in this," she mumbled, yelping as he suddenly pushed her away to the side, before yanking her back again, in what she assumed was a dance move. She caught a glimpse of his face, revealing him grinning in amusement.

"Maybe a warning next time?" Ash suggested, as they returned to the ordinary dance, which she preferred to the random yanking back and forth.

"No fun in that," he chuckled, as he spun them around briefly. That made the dropping point for her, unable to follow that move that actually required a bit more participation on her part.

Her feet slid along the floor briefly away from him, which would have resulted in a fall on her back if Dean hadn't grabbed her upper arms. Ash blinked confused by the turn of events, before blowing the fringe out of her face.

"Yeah, you need more practice. A_ lot_ more," he said calmly, as he pulled her back up on her feet. The pip-boy was still blaring out music and to be honest, for the moment Ash had forgotten all about the world outside this room and the music. Whether that was because of enjoyment or annoyance was an unspoken matter.

"Well… I understand the charm behind this. If it's meant to be terrifying," Ash rolled her eyes amused.

"Yes, it is a bit terrifying at the moment. I'm quite glad we're alone, you'd probably scare off half the crowd the way you move," Dean sneered amused.

"Maybe you're a bad teacher," Ash retorted in the same tone, reaching out with her hands to the sides, palms up.

"Hardly. There's nothing I'm bad at, my dear," Dean replied, grabbing hold of her again as her gestures had indicated.

They continued repeating the same moves as before, with the occasional improvised move from Dean's side, when he figured she could handle it. Depending on the rhythm of the music that the pip-boy provided, the speed changed. Ash preferred the fast ones, since she was forced to watch her feet or their surroundings more. The slower ones were… awkward, as she could afford watching Dean more.

That was oddly enough a distraction.


	5. Ghost people

**For some reason this chapter was really hell. Glad it's over, hopefully the next one will not fight back as much!**

* * *

><p>"Alright, alright. That's enough. My head's spinning," Ash called out, pulling away from Dean to place her hands on her knees, looking down at the floor for a few moments.<p>

"Spinning? Are you sure you're not just tired?" Dean asked amused, folding his arms across his chest.

"Aren't you?" she asked, baffled really. She _was _tired, although admitting so was a different story. While she lacked the stamina to keep up with things for long, she was just fast for short moments.

The ghoul shrugged easily, his eyebrow quirking upwards for a moment.

"Not really. My condition's quite fine. Better than yours obviously. You're not _that_ bad at dancing though. With a lot of training you could start matching the league of an actual pre-war dancer."

"Yeah, I don't think that'll ever happen," Ash sighed, as she stretched up again, shutting off the music from the pip-boy, changing it to the New Vegas channel instead in case some interesting news popped up.

"Fun to try but… nothing I'll want to spend a lot of energy on learning. Not usually a very fast learner," she continued with a faint grin, as she went to pick up her bag again. As she threw it over her shoulder she glanced back at Dean briefly, who was following her off the dance floor.

"Thanks, by the way," she smirked amused. "It was… entertaining to say the least."

"Ho oh, it was entertaining alright. But you're welcome," he replied coolly, as he lit up another cigar.

Ash shook her head, as they wandered down the corridor in search for the kitchen. They found it rather quickly; the first floor wasn't that big after all. There weren't any tables or chairs though so it had to be a general staff kitchen. But it had water and a working oven so… wherever the electricity came from, it was working fine as the lamps in the building were on too.

Ash threw in a hastily prepared piece of gecko meat, before walking back out in the corridor, ignoring Dean who was standing in the doorframe, looking at the oven. He walked after her though, siding up with her while giving her a look.

"What?" she asked.

"You cook your own food out here?" he asked.

"Of course. Wouldn't last long out here, if not."

"Hrm… I hope you're better at it than the Tops restaurant…"

"The food in there is fine," Ash arched an eyebrow. "Way better than anything I can do."

"Damn it," Dean grunted. "What is it with you people? The food from the dispensers in the Sierra Madre almost tastes better than… those mutated crabs."

"Uhm… mirelurks?"

"Whatever. My point is that I'd assume that after 200 years, people would have learned how to make proper food again."

"Comparing it to 200 year old food is kind of harsh though… fresh food, whether it is from a gecko or mirelurk is ten times better than… a salisbury steak."

Ash stuck out her tongue briefly, as she opened every container, locker or wardrobe that they passed in the various corridors and rooms. Dean scoffed loudly, still holding on to the cigar, keeping his free arm folded across his chest.

"I guess I should consider myself lucky I was born in the era were food actually mattered," he said coolly. "Perhaps I should see about trying the… uh, what's their name. Ultra-Deluxe?"

Ash nearly slammed shut a locker at that, turning to look at him abruptly.

"Don't go there," she warned him. "I helped solving a cannibal issue there and I'm not sure I stopped them all," she shuddered afterwards, as she walked out of the room, leaving Dean alone to stare into empty space, more than a little taken aback.

"Wait, what?" He finally said, his accent appearing thicker as he walked after her quickly.

"The tribe that runs that little show used to be cannibals even before Mr. House… took them in and made them abandon their ways. I guess old habits die hard," Ash shrugged. "Maybe they've overcome it again but I certainly don't trust them."

Dean pulled down his glasses suddenly, looking at her with narrowed eyes, as if he thought the dark glasses were blocking him from seeing if she was telling the truth or not. Ash arched an eyebrow again before giving him the same look if only to tease him.

"You have pretty eyes," she noted out of nowhere, making the ghoul almost slam his glasses back on. He had eyes like any other ghoul did really, slightly foggy but it was easy to see that his eye color was blue even if it was a very light blue these days.

Ash roared with laughter as she continued to walk, now towards the kitchen, while Dean glared after her.

"I fail to see what _that_ had to do with anything," he huffed, following her once he had collected himself again. "I just have a hard time believing what you just said. Cannibals?"

"Well, believe it. The world's filled with nasty idiots that'll eat anything they can get … or worse," Ash cringed. "And frankly, that's not even the most disturbing things I've seen."

"Sounds like a story," Dean said drily and with obviously no interest of hearing it, which was alright, because Ash had no intention of continuing. Instead she fished out two plates and forks from a nearby cupboard in the kitchen. She brushed off the dust from the table before placing them down and then fetching the gecko steak from the oven.

Dean sniffed suspiciously at his piece, before noticing that Ash was already wolfing her piece down.

"Are you always this uncivilized?" he asked coolly. Ash rolled her eyes. She was eating fast, yes, but not in a disgusting way.

"Just eat it, Dean. You'll need the energy for tomorrow," she said, pointing at his plate with her fork. "You've eaten cloud residue, you can't really be picky about food too."

"I'm not picky, but I did expect standards outside the Sierra Madre. Like that the world had actually evolved a bit outside it," he huffed, eating the steak without much complaining, except the occasional near-annoyed grimace.

At least he did no further complaining for the rest of the meal or while they went to the second floor to find some place to rest. Whatever the building had served as before, it had to have been some kind of hotel mixed with entertainment center. At least according to Dean.

So finding a room each wasn't too difficult. The sandstorm was still raging outside, but Ash had already grown used to the creaking that was heard everywhere in the building.

* * *

><p><em>The coarse breathing that seemed to penetrate every wood and wall in the area, sent chills down her spine. Just as it was so penetrating, it was at the same time as faint as a whisper or as mysterious as an echo.<em>

"_They catch you, they drag you into the cloud, and you're not coming back out. After that, having your necktie go off would be mercy…"_

_Now, sitting alone around a corner in the Sierra Madre, those words seemed to ring closer than ever before. The Ghost people's breathing seemed magnified in her ears, almost louder than her own pulse that was quickly beating to catch up with her wrecked body. The constant proximity of the Cloud… the constant stress of the bomb collars, the increased rate of breathing every time they started to beep or a Ghost noticed them… the strain of having to lead three such odd characters through it all._

_No matter where she went, she was always the one in control, the one responsible. It had always been so. Would always be so._

_So why wasn't she in control now? The amount of Ghost people around her were increasing, as if they literally crawled through the walls. Perhaps Dean had been right. Perhaps there were thousands of them below the streets of the Sierra Madre._

_She had to run. Run through them all, up to the tower. Anything to get out of this hellhole._

_Another sound had joined the loud, strained breathing from the Ghost people. A banging sound. Like two wooden poles being tapped together in a steady rhythm. Constant. Just like their breathing._

_As she ran, she felt slower suddenly, she felt Ghost people reaching after her, fingertips briefly tracing her back. The banging was louder now, almost as loud as her own pulse. Hands grabbed hold of her arms suddenly, forcing her to stop. Another came over her throat and two more over her mouth._

_By now, she wanted to cover her ears with her hands, as the breathing, banging and her pulse seemed loud enough to crush her head, while the Ghost people surrounded her._

Ash woke up with a gasp, sounding out of breath the second she looked around her, finding herself in an old bed. In the very same room she had fallen asleep in the night before. For a moment, she felt more than a little confused, as the breathing sound still remained, although it was her own breath this time. Her pulse was running like crazy but the banging… someone was banging on her door.

"What's going on in there? I swear, if you have drugged yourself to sleep or something, I'll go find another more capable guide!" Dean's voice came from the other side of the door, annoyed and louder than he usually allowed it to be.

Ash jumped up from the bed, nearly throwing the door open in Dean's face. He looked downright pissed off about something, though he arched an eyebrow at her appearance, his expression immediately softening to his regular one.

"Just exactly _what_ were you doing?" he asked puzzled, peering at her from under the lifted sunglasses.

"Bad dream," Ash sighed, as she leant towards the doorframe, running her palm over her forehead, realizing she was soaked in sweat.

"Must have been a bad one because you look like you ran through hell and came back," he noted drily, as he picked up a cigarette, lighting it before giving her a further look. "Are you OK?"

Ash rolled her eyes, knowing full well the only reason he voiced any concern at all was for his own safety. He probably figured she couldn't protect him if she was… mentally unstable or something.

"Yeah. I'm fine now," she shrugged, taking a slow deep breath. "Give me a second to get my things and we'll be on our way," she added, as she went back into her room. Dean merely nodded, going to wait in the staircase since he didn't really have any things to carry, beyond the extra weapon.

Ash sat down in the bed for a moment, stretching warily before pulling on the duster she normally wore, as well as the strong boots. Luckily her things were already packed in the bag, so once she had gathered her weapons and the bag she went to the first floor with Dean.

They had a quiet breakfast of some old noodles, before opening the doors back out to the real world, as it felt like. The sandstorm had since long settled, leaving only its tracks behind it. Everything was at least somewhat covered in fresh sand, leaving an even more deserted impression of the world than it already was.

One of the signs that had been blowing in the wind before had finally given away to years of harsh weather and age, as it had fallen down into a fresh sand pile, partly covered by it already.

After having established that nothing dangerous was lurking nearby, Ash dared to relax a bit, still feeling uncomfortable since the nightmare. They had a nasty habit of haunting you for a while afterwards and it was very distracting.

"What was it about?" Dean's voice broke the silence between them, as the only real sound around them had been from their feet crushing the sand and dirt on the ground. Ash gave the old village behind them a last look as they entered the same old road they had followed earlier, before giving him a look.

"Huh?" she asked.

"The dream."

He seemed generally curious for some reason and she had to recall that he did enjoy chatting, although she couldn't help but wonder why he even cared about her dreams. Maybe curiosity on what kind of things could haunt her in her dreams really. She was unsure of that herself even.

"Ghost people," she replied in earnest. She had never been shy about revealing bad things that had happened to her; to her it was part of getting over them. Accepting one's weaknesses could give one new strengths after all.

"That's… certainly a reason enough to call a dream bad, indeed," the ghoul agreed calmly. "They are old gents and long gone from your life however, I am surprised you're still concerned about them."

"I'm not," Ash shrugged. "I'm not sure where the dream came from, never had anything like it before. I should probably blame you, your presence has reminded me of the Sierra Madre apparently," she added amused.

"How nice. I remind you of Ghost people," Dean snorted.

"Cute, isn't it?"

"… Sometimes I wonder just how many blows to your head you've taken, my dear."


	6. Card up his sleeve

**I really enjoyed this chapter. I am also working on making them longer, and this one should be around 1000 words longer than usual, which is a step in the right direction!**

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><p>Beyond the little village, the desert changed a bit, as the day went on and their travelling took them further south. The sand plains, with its few cacti and bundles of grass, were replaced by a more rocky kind of desert. The road they followed remained the same, as broken down as before. Ash was content with following it until the landscape turned more cliffy than rocky.<p>

That's when she paused, watching the road ahead of them, as it circled in among several meters of tall cliffs and rocks. From here, it was impossible to see just where the road could lead. Or more importantly, what the road contained. She had crossed this area before, several times actually, and almost every time there had been ambushes of some sort; whether it had been raiders, Legion or actual animals.

"What now?" Dean said slightly behind her, as he looked around.

"I don't like this. Stinks of ambushing," Ash replied, as she glanced upwards at the even taller cliffs behind the others, as if looking for something.

"We'll take the longer, but safer route," she said suddenly, pointing towards the left with her hand, before starting walking.

"Longer route? I'm all for safer, but just how much longer?" the ghoul asked with a scoff.

"It's really only longer because it's more… climbing than walking."

"Climbing? Agh."

Ash knew very well that Dean, or older ghouls in general usually had knee issues, so she couldn't exactly blame him for complaining about her decision.

"What are the odds of you carrying me?" he huffed, as he followed her past the cliffs, both putting their hands to the rough surface for better balance since they were off the road and any paths now.

"I'm not _that_ strong, Dean," Ash glanced over her shoulder, not even sure he was being serious.

"Really? Such a shame. Here I thought you were basically as strong as a man… you certainly act like one."

The woman rolled her eyes. Figured he'd take revenge_ somehow _for this more annoying path she had chosen. His insults were usually harmless but this one did strike a bit of a nerve. In this world, you couldn't strut around with a dress and no weapons, or skills to handle them, unless you wanted to die a horrible death somewhere. Or spend the rest of your life on the Strip and hope your caps didn't run out.

Dean had yet to learn to separate between women from Pre-war and today, obviously. Or then he was just being an ass, the latter being more likely.

"Are you really that blind?" she asked him instead, keeping her eyes on the snakelike route in front of them, careful not to slam any of her weapons into the rock. They were certainly walking upwards now and she had to admit it was a bit hard even on her knees.

"No? I said you act like a man, I never said you looked like one," Dean huffed, eyeing her now as if to prove a point, even if it was behind her back. As soon as she looked over her shoulder though, his eyes returned to her face. She stopped, forcing him to stop as well as she peered at him before speaking.

"Did you just…?"

"Most certainly not!"

"Funny. I never pictured you as an ogler."

"I wasn't _ogling you_! Have some sense, woman!"

Dean had folded his arms across his chest by now, looking extremely uptight about the whole situation. As in fact Ash was afraid he'd split a seam somewhere… or a blood vein.

"Alright, alright," she said, letting the subject drop with a faint smirk. Whatever insults she had planned throwing on him for his complaint, she had forgotten them now because this was a lot more fun. The ghoul grumbled something as she continued forward, obviously not pleased that his little insult had gone the entirely wrong way.

They walked in silence for a while, Dean not saying a word about his knees, surprisingly enough. Not until they reached the top of the rocky hill, did they stop again. The way down was basically a very narrow ravine, with just enough room for one person along its width.

"Oh lovely, walking down now. That's even better than up!" Dean huffed, though he narrowed his eyes as Ash gave him a glance, ready to retort with that if you went up, you usually went down afterwards.

"Don't say a word," he warned her swiftly, so she merely shrugged instead, before walking down.

It was quite steep actually and only some places had actual dirt ground. Some were all dry rock and small crevices. It went surprisingly well almost all the way down though and Ash felt the relief of having gone through the area without any problems. Especially when they started to reach the area where the ravine wasn't as narrow anymore. Now at least two people could walk side by side.

"Hold it right there!" a voice suddenly cried out somewhere in front of them, making both stop abruptly. Ash started reaching for the nearest weapon when a Legion soldier came out around the corner in front of them. He was holding a hunting rifle, aimed at her. Behind him were another three soldiers.

So much for getting out of this area unscathed.

The soldiers were smart enough to keep a decent distance, something Ash was grateful for. But it wouldn't help if she had no weapons in her hands.

"Reach for a weapon and we'll shoot," the man who had spoken before continued, as if he had read her mind, his eyes narrowed under the hood he wore.

Ash was fervently searching for a solution to this upcoming disaster, already scanning the surroundings for a possible escape. The Legion had wanted her for ages now, and they were still stupid enough to never shoot her on sight if they didn't have to. All she could guess was that Caesar wanted to kill her himself, else she wouldn't have been alive today. But that wasn't a pleasure she'd give him.

"She matches the description. Her companion doesn't however," one of the soldiers said, as he was looking at a note in his hands, nudging the one next to him. "Doesn't look like the NCR sniper or the ghoul… cowboy?"

Ash cursed under her breath. So the Legion had actual descriptions on her most dangerous companions too. That wasn't at all to her liking and unfortunately Dean was no secret powerful agent either exactly.

"He's just a degenerate, we'll kill him anyway," the hooded man shrugged.

Dean had been listening intently, standing fairly secure behind Ash, whether that was his intention or not. But in this case, it did help. Ash frowned, as she felt him fidget before he pulled at her backpack, without the Legion soldiers noticing it.

She wanted to ask what he was doing, but she didn't even dare to glance backwards. It was possible she could pull her pistol at least and hopefully fire towards the soldiers before they'd get a chance to shoot at them. The chance was slim, but what else was there to do? She was fast and she knew Dean was too, if he had to be.

Whatever Dean had been doing, he stopped suddenly, almost leaning over her shoulder now while he placed his right hand on her shoulder. From this distance she could see his eyes under his glasses, dart over the ground between them and the soldiers, before they narrowed.

"Gentlemen, I may not be a cowboy or a sniper, but I can assure you I got my own tricks up my sleeve," he announced, almost amusedly to the soldiers, before Ash could hear something click behind her back. The next moment a grenade flew through the air, landing between them but quickly started to roll towards the soldiers who all four happened to be standing further down the slope…

Ash didn't even have a moment to react because Dean had already grabbed her arm by now, pulling her back with him a few good meters before the explosion went off. The blast echoed between the cliffs and the force of it nearly sent the both of them to the ground.

While the pebbles fell around them and the smoke cleared out, Ash had already pulled out her pistol, walking right back to where the soldiers had been standing. Dean was following, pistol drawn as well. Even he understood that a grenade was strong enough to severely cripple and weaken an enemy, so finishing them off at once afterwards was the smart move, not to wait and see if anyone had survived.

The soldiers hadn't been able to escape the grenade though. Two of them had apparently died in the blast itself, because they lacked a few limbs. The third one was lying unconscious on his stomach further down the slope, blood almost pouring into the dirt under him. Ash let off a shot in his head, before she found the fourth one, who was conscious enough to try and crawl away from the place. Before she could say or do anything though, he spotted them following him, so he took a knife and abruptly stabbed it into his own chest.

"Damn cowards, always killing themselves," Ash huffed, almost angrily, as she watched the corpses. By now they had entered the old road as before, where the cliffs were smaller and less crowded. There was a good view, with no more Legions in sight, so she holstered the pistol, looking at Dean now.

"That was… unexpected. I had forgotten I had grenades hanging on my bag," she admitted, as he pulled out a cigarette, looking somewhat relieved as he inhaled from it once it was lit.

"Not the first grenade I've used, you know," he said drily, looking at her too now. There was a certain smugness in his tone, as if he enjoyed her surprise. This was a smugness she was happily letting him have.

"Quick thinking nevertheless. Maybe I don't have to worry so much about you after all," she shrugged amused.

"Hmph, worry? About me? I can take care of myself."

He paused, flicking some ashes to the ground, as Ash walked over to the soldiers, pulling loose a few belts of ammo. She wasn't interested in anything else from them, mostly because she wasn't sure she could even trust any of their food or water. Perhaps she had just grown paranoid or overestimated their will to capture her, but for all she knew it could be poisoned or something. A trap.

"That doesn't mean you have to let your guard down though," the ghoul continued casually. Ash smirked as she settled the ammo in her bag, giving him an amused look.

"Don't worry, I never do."

"Good, good!" Dean nodded, looking a bit more relieved again, though he was fast with turning around to look towards the road instead.

"Come on, I want to get out of this place, before more Legion arrive," Ash said as she walked past him, making him follow her again, per usual.

"It sounded like these Legion fellows knew you," he remarked, his will to chat again having returned now that they walked on a flat, normal road, if very worn down by age. She did notice he was a bit slower than usual, so she adapted her pace with his, pretending that she did so because she was tired.

"Oh, I've killed so many of them, I've lost count. I'm probably wanted in their society or something," the woman waved it off. "What I don't like is that they know those I travel with. That's… unsettling."

"Isn't that your companions' problem?"

"Their problems are my problems. Especially as long as they still stay in the Lucky 38. They're my friends, you know."

"Well, I suppose you need your partners too. And I already know you're too much of a goodie two shoes to not care about them too much," he rolled his eyes.

"I'll take that as a compliment," Ash sighed. "It's that 'goodie two shoes' attitude that helped you in the Sierra Madre too."

"You have a point I suppose, but I'd eventually find my own way into that place."

They both know the odds of that would have been slim, but Ash let it slide, as she let so much else with him do. She didn't know why, frankly, if she pissed him off so he left. Not her problem was it? Sure, she'd lose some caps but she'd be able to find them elsewhere eventually.

No, there was more to it that she couldn't entirely put her finger on. Or then, she really _was _too nice for her own good.

* * *

><p>After about an hour or so, she decided they had covered enough ground for the day and went about to find a good camping place. She didn't much like the idea of camping outside, because of the dangers, but they had no real choice. It was evening already and darkness was approaching them fast. They would need the fire soon.<p>

"This looks like a good spot," she said after a while, as she paused outside a few cliffs that crept inwards a bit, creating a little outer cave. She dropped her bag near the cliff wall, before heading outside again to collect some dry twigs and other burnable material she could find out there.

When she came back, Dean was already sitting down, on a flat rock no less, with his hands over his right knee.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" he asked. "Anyone can spot the fire. Including those little Roman impersonators and I don't think we want them catching us in our sleep."

"That's why we'll be keeping guard, one at the time. That way both can get some sleep."

Dean scoffed.

"What if I need my sleep?" he asked tersely.

"Alright, I can stay awake all night and then when we're attacked by something tomorrow, you can watch as I snore throughout the whole damn encounter," Ash said, in the same tone.

"… Fair point. Very well, I can keep guard for a while too, but how? We can barely see ourselves in this darkness, let alone approaching savages."

Ash rummaged about in her bag for a moment before pulling out a pair of binoculars that she tossed to him before she went to build the hasty fireplace. Dean inspected the object before looking at her, and then taking off his glasses to look through the binoculars. He was surprised to realize they had night vision. At least that made the whole 'keeping guard' thing a lot easier.

So he kept watch in silence, as Ash arranged for their dinner, which consisted of roasted meat and fruit. Nothing fancy, but she didn't have anything better to use at the moment. As she checked on the meal, to make sure it wasn't burnt, she glanced over to Dean who was holding the binoculars in one hand for now, resting his arm on his bent knee. He still hadn't put on his glasses and she had to admit it was weird watching him without them.

"Who's doing the ogling now?" he asked, turning his head slightly to arch an eyebrow at her.

"You wish. I was actually wondering how much you do know about the Legion," she said coolly, as she looked back into the fire.

"A little. I heard of them the very first day I stepped into the Tops and decided to find out more. I did need to be updated a bit on what's going on in the world outside of the Sierra Madre. To be honest that update was very… disappointing. You people have no known fast transportation means yet. It's quite embarrassing, really."

"The Legion, Dean?" Ash reminded him.

"If you want to hear my impression of them, it's the fact that they are quite frankly, morons. At first I thought the rumors honestly spoke about poor theater actors on escape from some school. Why, with their outfits and all."

"That's probably the… best description I've ever heard about the Legion," Ash admitted with a smile.

"Well, obviously, it came from me," Dean chuckled. "I don't like them at any rate, and that's mostly because one of them had the nerve to call me a degenerate. Which makes them a bunch of absolute hypocrites."

"Dean? You don't like anyone who insults you."

"That's beside the point."

Ash shook her head, handing him a plate with the food on, now that it was done, before serving herself some. Dean gave the plate the usual condescending look before eating, somewhat reluctantly.

"Don't worry though. You'll probably get plenty of times to throw verbal or physical insults right back at them," she said, while eating. "There's a lot more of them where we're going, I believe."

"Oh, splendid. Like I need to be surrounded by poor performers."

When they were done eating, Ash feed the fire some more wood before looking out over the landscape as well.

"I'll take the first watch?" she asked, as he nodded, before tossing her the binoculars.

"Sounds like a plan," he said. "Not that I'll get much sleep in this muck, I assume," he added, prodding the ground below him.

"Try," was all Ash said, as silence fell over them again. She looked at Dean, his back to her and the fire now. It was odd really, feeling responsible for someone like that. It wasn't like with Raul and Boone. They could handle themselves quite fine on their own, especially now that Raul had gotten into actually shooting again.

To be honest though, she missed the others. They at least treated her as an equal. Dean was nice enough, but he could be a bit of an asshole most of the time and she wondered what he really thought of her. If she was a friend or just a business partner, or worse, someone disposable when he didn't need her anymore. She doubted the last bit, because it made little sense after everything. But he had a way of making her wary. In more than one way.

She rubbed the back of her neck and shoulders, thinking of the evening before this one, with the dance and all. She sure as hell couldn't remember anyone ever convincing her of doing such a silly thing.

Raul would certainly have a good laugh at that, when he found out.

Ash kept a steady eye on the surroundings for a good few hours. It wasn't until she knew it'd be daylight in three hours or so that she got up on her feet, gently touching Dean's shoulder.

"Alright, don't make me slap you awake," she scoffed, as he muttered something. He grabbed her wrist suddenly, as he sat up, frowning.

"I wouldn't recommend trying that," he huffed. "What time is it?"

"3 AM. We'll be up walking at around 6 AM."

Ash sat down where she had been keeping guard earlier, tossing the binoculars to Dean.

"Three hours enough for you?" he asked, looking a bit surprised for a moment.

"I'll be fine," she waved it off, rolling over to her side. She was a bit uneasy with letting him stay guard because she wasn't sure she trusted him with it. It was even to the point that five minutes later, she lifted her head just to check on him.

He was busy brushing the dust off his clothes, so he paused in the middle of a movement when he realized she was looking at him.

"Just sleep already," he told her, as he picked up the binoculars, before starting to pay attention to the landscape outside. Ash muttered something, before trying to do so.


	7. Anti material rifle

**VERY unusually long chapter, that I'm not entierly happy with myself. Some bits are fine, but others make me wonder if I butchered Dean's personality. Well, gotta practise somehow. .o**

* * *

><p>Ash had to have had underestimated her ability to fall asleep fast, because she certainly didn't. By the time her mind allowed her to relax so much that she could even fall asleep, one hour had already been wasted on trust issues and half dreams about being ambushed by Legion or mole rats during the night.<p>

Part of her felt bad for not trusting Dean at all; she wanted to, but her instincts still told her to be careful about it. Which was a bit ridiculous because the man had to have had survived in the Sierra Madre for so long for a reason. And after the encounter with the Legion, she knew he wasn't dumb when it came to desperate situations.

Still, sleep didn't come easy, which was noticeable.

Dean certainly noticed her trouble with falling asleep but wasn't sure what to make of it. Once she did finally seem to fall asleep, it was an incredibly restless sleep anyway. It made him wonder how the hell she had gotten any sleep done at all in the Sierra Madre, if just sleeping out here caused this much distress.

He wasn't exactly reassured himself to be honest, being accustomed to his safe apartment, with all the traps and mines, back in the Sierra Madre. At least there he had a good view and would notice if something snuck up on him.

This open… cave was a whole different matter. He couldn't even enjoy a good smoke because he felt he constantly had to check the binoculars at the slightest sound out in the desert. By the time he realized it was probably just tumbleweed or the wind playing tricks on his mind, it was almost morning.

Perhaps he ought to ask Ash to stop by somewhere for a few mines; he'd certainly rest easier knowing their camp was surrounded by mines. So would she too probably, considering how she was thrashing around in her sleep, almost to the point of making him jump now and then at the unexpected movement from her on the other side of the fire.

As the sky started to shift from dark blue to a slightly orange tint, he got up on his feet slowly before walking over to where Ash was sleeping. Very lightly it seemed, because he had barely nudged her shoulder when she opened her eyes abruptly. Her eyes quickly darted around to take in the surroundings while she was sitting up.

It was the constant caution and discretion that also made Dean wonder how long she had even survived out here. She wore the same caution even when in safe places, like the Aces Theater. She had this… ability to shift between the vulnerability of prey and the ferociousness of a predator. If it was all a façade or real, he couldn't tell but it was… intriguing in a way.

It was the rather abrupt uttering of 'fuck' from Ash that woke him from his musings, as he rolled his eyes at her expression.

"And good morning to you too, partner," he said drily, lighting a cigarette now, since he hadn't fully been able to before. He glanced down at the woman who was giving him a sideways glare, rubbing the back of her neck.

"Not really a good morning, if you ask me," she frowned with a sigh, moving on to her shoulders. She felt as stiff as a board at the moment, and not at all rested. What she'd give for the safety of the Lucky 38 now. There were few other places where she could sleep well actually. Nothing compared to a heavily Securitron-infested building.

She stood up, stretching her arms over her head, before stretching her back as well, desperately trying to force some life into her muscles and limbs again. She quite frankly ignored the look Dean was giving her, as if wondering if she was done already. He looked impatient and it was probably what he was as well, eager to get going and… do whatever it was he wanted to do with that friend of his.

"Did you have any problems during the night?" she asked, as she stopped with the stretching, going to pack the things into her bag, before throwing it up over her shoulder, along with the weapons. She had pulled out two fruits of some sort, tossing one to Dean. They could have breakfast soon enough, for now, she just wanted to get out of this unsecured spot.

"Nothing. Watching Ghost people shuffle into each other's more amusing than the Mojave during night, I can tell you that," the ghoul muttered.

"I thought they were smarter than that," she replied, rather automatically, as she stepped outside of the cave, taking a deep breath, hoping that the fresh morning air would wake her up more.

"Smart's not exactly a word I'd use in the same sentence as Ghost people."

The sunrise was coming fast now, already sending its orange and golden light over the desert, quickly returning it to its warmer, more colorful state again, or as colorful as the world could become after the nuclear war. Still, though, she had heard that most other places were even darker and greyer than the Mojave. At least eatable plants were growing in the desert.

But maybe that was just rumors. Nevertheless, Ash had never really left the Mojave and she had no interest in doing so either. Well, except when she had been forced outside its familiar borders like during the Sierra Madre event.

Most of the day passed by without any real issues, beyond the occasional complaint from Dean or a gecko pack that was easily dispatched. Dean had insisted on shooting at them as well, even though Ash could kill them off on her own just fine. She could only assume that he didn't want to come off as useless, which was probably… easy out here, considering she simply knew more about the Mojave than he did.

Which could explain why he spent most of the day being cranky.

Towards the evening they got closer to the town of Novac; a well visited place for Ash and also a town she enjoyed being in, and the inhabitants usually enjoyed her company too. She'd rather not ponder how well they'd react to Dean though… considering how 'well' they had reacted to Boone's wife. At least this time she'd be able to get a proper night's rest, in her own room. She just hoped they'd have another room available for Dean.

She hadn't expected the disaster waiting outside of Novac though, even Dean arched his eyebrows at the sight. A Brahmin, probably dead, was lying on the road that led up a slope to Novac maybe 200 meters away. Upon closer look, which was unavoidable since they had to pass it, it was more than obvious that it was dead. Not only by the pool of dried blood having formed under it, but also the two bodies nearby. A few boxes with its contents spilled out and raided were spread across the nearby area.

Ash knelt down to both bodies, checking them for any signs of life, but there was none. It couldn't have happened too recently considering the dried blood, but she couldn't understand why no one from Novac had bothered to investigate. Granted, they were standing right under a slope so maybe they hadn't seen anything but they should have heard the gunfire, considering the bullet holes in the Brahmin.

"Why are we idling around here? They're dead, let's move on," Dean said impatiently, his gaze towards Novac which, hopefully, promised better food and beds than what the Mojave could offer.

"You're right. I'll just let someone in Novac know about this," Ash admitted, as she gestured with her head towards the town up ahead.

There was little warning to the sudden bullets that hit the road behind them in rapid succession; a sub machine gun, no doubt, which made things extremely dangerous. Ash whipped out her pistol, trying to spot where the bullets were coming from.

"Should have left sooner," Dean muttered under gritted teeth, trying to spot something as well, but he wasn't really accustomed to the desert, compared to the dark environment of the Sierra Madre.

Ash spotted the attacker as they moved again in order to fire, the sun creating a reflection from their weapon as they moved through the brush. There was a lot of it here, stones and cacti as well. She pulled at Dean suddenly, taking him off the road with her, as she ducked behind a larger rock with bullets literally hitting holes in the ground behind them.

"Hey!" he protested, not finding the tugging particularly pleasant. "I can move fine on my own, thank you!"

Ash promptly ignored him; too busy cursing at her own stupidity. Something was burning like hell in her leg, a bad sign, but she had to ignore it too for now. Dean peered over the edge of the rock, ducking right under again as another hailstorm of bullets hit it, throwing flakes of stone all over the place.

"I miss when people wouldn't shoot at me," he muttered, keeping the pistol out as well, although there was little chance of hitting their attacker at this distance.

"Probably just one, the fire's matching that of one ammo round at the time," Ash said, as she holstered her pistol before pulling out the Anti-material rifle.

"Isn't _that_ a bit of overkill if it's just one?" Dean asked with a frown. "That weapon looks capable of shooting a rhino's head off."

"They've pissed me off," the woman retorted, for once, not noting how he used another pre-war word.

She waved her hand out over the rock, listening to another batch of ammo going off; whoever was attacking them wasn't only stupid for being alone, but also extremely trigger-happy. As soon as the fire died out, she flipped up the rifle over the rock, making it steady within moments.

"Show yourself, you ugly bastard…" she muttered, as she kept her eye in the weapon's sights. A male popped up his head behind a rock, as if on request. A few bullets were fired towards them again, but Ash was already pulling the trigger. The recoil from the rifle pushed her backwards a tiny bit, but the effort certainly wasn't wasted.

Blood literally exploded from the man's head as he was thrown backwards into the dirt, followed by an almost eerie silence.

Ash waited for surely a good minute before she stood up, leaning the rifle to her shoulder, as Dean casually stood up as well, dusting his shoulder off.

"I don't know about a rhino, but a Deathclaws's head usually goes right off," she shrugged to him, before stepping past the rock. Dean stepped out from the rock as well, noticing the small amount of blood sprayed on the side of it. He immediately checked himself over, as if he would have gotten injured without realizing it. When he couldn't find anything he sighed in relief but his gaze quickly moved towards Ash who was already across the road by now. She was limping, even if she made a good attempt of not showing it.

Ash was well aware of the injury in her lower leg; she had just grown good at ignoring pain because it certainly wasn't the first or last injury she'd sustained. Besides, anything was better than getting shot in the head. But now that the immediate threat was over and the adrenaline rush was disappearing, her body started to remind her that she was in fact injured.

The man she had killed had truly been alone, which was strange but not unheard of. Why he had chosen to remain after a successful assault on an unsuspecting caravan she'd never know, but at least he wouldn't be killing anymore merchants. Nor shoot her again.

This time she didn't even bother with checking what his bags might contain, as she walked back up on the road. She paused there, kneeling down to check on her leg. Putting her hand on her left calf resulted in it quickly getting covered in blood, which meant that the injury was deep enough to have blood still gushing out from the bullet holes.

"Perfect…" she muttered, before she heard Dean approach her over the road. She stood up quickly, giving him a look before walking forward, towards Novac. The limping was definitely unavoidable by now.

"So you managed to get yourself shot," he stated after a while, actually as they were entering the small town.

"I did…" Ash said, as if she needed to be reminded. Her leg hurt like hell and she knew she'd need to remove the bullets as soon as possible. If just to make the pain a bit less insufferable. The only problem was she didn't know of a good doctor in the town that she actually trusted, so she'd be forced to rely on her own medical skills. They worked, but… barely really.

"I honestly thought you were better than getting yourself shot like that," Dean continued, causing her to rub the brink of her nose with a grimace. She waved to one of the inhabitants, moving as quickly as she could towards her old room that she still held the key to. She didn't want anyone seeing that she was injured; it was awkward enough that Dean had spotted it.

"How much is this going to delay us?" Dean continued, as Ash suddenly stopped by the stairs, giving him a rather annoyed glare.

"I'm sorry that my injury's such a hurdle in your plans, Domino. But I cannot just snap my fingers and make it better nor snap my fingers and make myself immortal. Now, how about you go make yourself useful and buy a medical kit from the town's doctor? Please?" she huffed, ignoring the fact that Dean's own expression had hardened, because of her order _as well _as claiming him as useless, no matter how indirect it had been.

Normally Ash would just shrug off his complaints but she was in pain which greatly reduced her otherwise god-like patience. The fact he couldn't even spend one second to think of her well-being was more than a little annoying as well, not to say a tad hurtful.

"How about I go and find someone who's more capable," Dean said, his tone unusually cold and insensitive. She lowered her head briefly, her brow furrowed in annoyance still, even if she didn't like hearing him like that. It sounded wrong. Dangerous even.

"You do that. Good luck," Ash continued, despite the faint warning in her head. With that she continued up the stairs and she would have rushed into the room if she didn't have to stand there and awkwardly unlock it first, _then_ slam the door shut after her.

She hadn't even checked if he had been walking away or not and frankly, this very moment she didn't care either. It was his loss after all, why would she care where he went without her. She'd lose the caps yeah, but she'd gain a whole lot more peace.

Besides, it was his own fault for being a selfish bastard anyway.

Ash dropped her bag on the almost dusty bed, since she hadn't been in this room for a long time, before sitting down at the edge of it herself. The burning pain had just become worse and by now her lower leg was so clotted with blood that getting the leather from the armor off it would be near impossible.

She hated to ruin a perfectly good suit of armor, but she'd hate to gain an infection too, so she unsheathed her knife, using it to cut open the leather all the way to her knee. This was going to be hell to fix on her own, which it would have been anyway because she wouldn't have asked Dean for help anyway.

With a somewhat furious sigh, she took the knife in a tighter grip, bending it around to start digging out the bullets from the holes in her calf.

* * *

><p>Dean had been looking up at the shut door; his features still that in rigid, disguised irritation. He didn't remain for more than a few moments though, as he started walking around the corner of the old hotel building.<p>

Having the nerve of ordering him around. None gave him orders, if anyone gave orders it was _him_. Certainly not _her_. And calling him _useless_?

The ghoul scoffed where he was walking, not as calmly as he'd like but rather marching forward with no real goal in mind. To find someone else to take him to his old acquaintance but as he stopped in the crossroads of the town, he realized that… well none seemed to fit the bill. As in fact the whole town seemed basically deserted.

"Blast it!" he muttered under his breath as he turned around to go see about anyone who actually knew something about the town when he bumped right into something.

"Watch where you're going!" he said sharply, once he had gotten his bearings right. The grey haired and bearded man in front of him peered at him extremely suspiciously. Dean arched an eyebrow, before taking a discrete step backwards, brushing off his chest while peering at the old man himself.

"Who are you, hm? Don't recognize you. You here to spy on my secrets? Well, you can't have them!"

Dean went to lift up his glasses, momentarily forgetting about being annoyed with Ash.

"What?" he asked.

"Uh uh, I asked first! I got the rights here, you don't, you… you're a ghoul! You're one of those commie ghouls?"

The man gave Dean's clothes a look.

"A rich commie ghoul! We don't want you here!" he barked out suddenly, pointing towards Dean, actually almost at his chest but Dean swatted his hand away before he could get that far.

"Have you gone completely barmy or something?" Dean frowned. "You know what, I'm not even sure why I'm talking to you. I'm looking for someone who's in charge here," he continued.

"That'd be me. I got all the eyes and ears here, oh yes. Have to keep a good eye on all those ghosts and ghouls and secrets. No one else seems to be willing to do it. Probably all bribed! Better find someone you can trust! Hope they're not bribed too," the man continued almost thoughtfully, scratching his beard.

It was silent between them for a while, as Dean gave the man a very doubtful look, almost painful actually as if the conversation was giving him a headache. He put the glasses back on slowly.

"Alright, pal, I'll just be leaving," he said coolly, as he turned around to do so.

"Yeah, you'd better run! No go painting the moon here, I'll stop you before it happens!" the man called after him.

"Bloody lunatic," Dean muttered, as he gazed up towards the dinosaur statue in the town, without really seeing it though. He quickly shifted his gaze towards the room where Ash had disappeared off to, running a hand over his bare skull.

Speaking of people he could trust…

Ash had never snapped or ordered him to do anything before and he couldn't help but have this little nagging feeling that he was being just a slightly bit unfair to her now. She hadn't forced him to take the post back in the Sierra Madre when she could just have done so. Instead she had talked to him and activated the holograms without hesitation. She had always been so ridiculously nice. Back then he had found it amusing and perfect, because he was in control of her due to her naiveness and yet being able to make it off as if she was the one in control.

He had been injured before and he knew that the pain could be a tremendous pain in the ass. People could say things they didn't mean, because, surely, Ash hadn't meant to order him around or be mean. She never had before.

After all, she was one of the few he _could_ trust since he knew that she never meant to harm him. Not much for backstabbing after all. Bloody girl was too sweet and naive to do so and thus easy to control still. Too much for her own good really, it was a wonder she survived the Sierra Madre without being backstabbed by somebody else. Goodie two shoes never lasted long there, as in fact they were the ones who landed in the traps first. And yet she hadn't.

Maybe he could excuse her outburst this once and blame it on the pain she probably was in. He hadn't been shot in his life, but he had been hit by the occasional ghost person or injured by his own knife or explosive.

But he certainly wasn't going to honestly apologize, what did he have to apologize for? He pulled his limit there certainly.

Besides, the girl needed him just as much as he needed her to guide him through the Mojave. Or well, she probably needed him more than he needed her. She just didn't know it.

He glanced over his shoulder, spotting the odd man pacing about muttering to himself and occasionally looking back towards Dean.

The ghoul ignored him, turning his focus towards the large tent raised in the middle of the town. There were some people there, around a Brahmin, so he ventured there in a more casual stride than before, now that he had made up his mind about who needed whom really.

The woman standing there seemed to be in charge, as confused as she looked though. She looked at Dean quickly as he approached, and so did the two armed men by her side.

"My apologies for bothering, would you know where I can find some medical supplies, or a first aid kit of some sorts?" Dean asked them simply enough, looking rather relaxed yet casual. Common people all of them, but he knew the value of politeness.

"Oh! I do know that!" the woman almost exclaimed, as she turned to the Brahmin behind her, messing about in one of the bags before pulling out exactly a first aid kid. "It's a bit dirty but I'm sure you'll make due! None has died of a little dirt have they, hehe."

One of the guards face palmed, the other shaking his head.

"What's the price?" Dean asked, ignoring her… well ignorance.

"30 caps please!" she beamed, nodding her thanks as he sorted out the price before he walked off in a hurry, mostly to get away from the woman.

This forced politeness and dealing with lesser people than himself were something he hadn't much needed since before the bombs. Working that practice up again out in the Mojave took its time but luckily, it was a talent he had mastered already before the war. And it always worked.

* * *

><p>He walked back to the room where he had seen Ash enter before, giving the door a light knock before opening it.<p>

The woman froze once she realized who it was, watching him, as she had paused in the middle of digging the last bullet out from the wound. There hadn't been too many bullets but it had been a painful and time-consuming procedure, nothing she could rush, especially without the right equipment.

She very nearly snapped at him, wondering why he had returned and why he was standing by the door, when the first aid kit landed on the bed right next to her. There was further silence as she looked at it before looking back at him.

"I thought you were going to find someone else?" she finally asked, casually. To be honest, she was surprised he hadn't already; all he had to do was to wave a bag of caps in anyone's face and they'd happily bring him anywhere. The fact he had gone and done as she had said was… surprising and enough to put her off from the irritation. A bit anyway.

"I was, then I realized that you need me more than… some other random moron out there… partner," Dean shrugged.

Ash's face threatened with another sour remark but it was interrupted since Dean started moving across the room to open the first aid kit he had tossed over. He pulled out a syringe from it, before handing it to her.

"I think you need this, if only to put you off the nark," he said drily. Her look still threatened murder but she took it from him, before plunging the syringe into her calf, injecting the much needed painkiller. Thankfully the effect was pretty fast, making her heave a sigh of relief.

Dean noted, with a knowing look, how she quickly returned to her 'normal' self. Her expression grew much softer, making way for her naïve lifestyle again, no doubt. It was a good thing to know, that whenever she was in pain, she turned into a less gentle being. It was easier to predict and control after all, and also a lot less grating on his ears.

"Thanks," Ash said, as she turned towards the kit again, though she glanced at him while doing so. Now that the pain was mostly gone, it allowed her to properly focus on what she was saying. Although her former words to him hadn't been that bad, they had been enough to trigger a certain annoyance from him. So she knew better than to bring it up now. Even if she was tempted to, because something had to have made him drop it, which was surprising considering it was, well, Dean.

"Have you been digging the bullets out with a combat knife…?" the ghoul asked drily, now that he had been given a moment to inspect the wound on her calf from a respectable distance. Well, there was too much blood to really see much of anything on it.

"I didn't have anything else," she shrugged, as she seemed to spot the amount of blood herself now. She grabbed a whiskey bottle she had fished out from the old fridge earlier, literally pouring the contents over her leg, washing away all the blood pretty quickly. Now it was easy to see the small bullet holes going a good bit along her calf. The last one happened to be in a really awkward position though, as she grabbed her knee to force her leg to the side, so she could better reach it.

After a few minutes of failing with that, she looked at Dean who was shifting between glancing at what she was doing and to the wall and she could swear he looked almost uncomfortable, but if it was because of the blood or something else, she couldn't tell.

"Do you have any experience with… these things?" she asked, making him look at her abruptly.

"Excuse me?" he asked.

"Medical things? I can't… honestly reach the last bullet without ripping off half the flesh around the wound," she groaned. Dean's eyes quickly shifted down to her leg instead, seeing the problem, but he wasn't sure he wanted to be the problem solver here. For several reasons.

"I… not with bullet holes, no," he admitted slowly.

"Damn. Well I can probably get Andy to do it maybe," Ash continued, without thinking really. She hadn't meant to goad Dean into something; she just wanted the damn bullet out already because it felt like it was taunting her now.

"Nonsense, give me that," the ghoul said quickly, reaching out for the tweezers, before he sat down at the edge of the bed. He grabbed hold of her leg, stretching it out; before he bent down to properly inspect the wound. The bullet was easy to spot from his position, so getting it out wasn't going to be a real problem, nor was he sensitive towards blood, especially not when his usefulness was at stake, subconsciously or not.

Ash winced as he pulled the bullet out a bit less gently then she'd liked, but at least it was out. Now she'd just need to put some stitches on there and put on a bandage. She reached for the thread and needle, while Dean put the bullet away.

"Just hold my foot down, will you?" she asked, as Dean put his hand over her ankle, applying pretty good force on it, as she rapidly stitched together the most messy holes in her calf, before she poured some more whiskey over it and then applied the bandage quickly. The ghoul was watching her hands, until he realized he didn't really need to do so, looking towards the door instead.

Once she could attach the bandage together at her knee, she let out another relieved sigh to have that over and done with, closing her eyes for a few brief moments. She opened them again, since Dean's hand on her ankle first now got noticeable. It was pretty warm, which was a bit… uncomfortable.

"Dean?"

"Yeah?" he replied, looking at her again.

"You can take your hand off my foot now."

He obeyed abruptly, putting his hand on the bed next to her foot instead before realizing he didn't need to do that_ either_ and got up on his feet instead. Ash could have sworn he looked awkward for a moment until he regained his composure and folded his arms across his chest.

"Could we try not to get injured again? It's quite a nuisance and time consuming," he frowned, as Ash glanced down at her leg with a smirk.

"If I can avoid it, yes," she agreed, pulling her leg closer to her chest as she was sitting up, putting her hand over her ankle were Dean had been holding before.

"Good," he nodded once, looking a bit tense for a moment. For all his jokes about how much she acted like a man, it was at times like this, he was reminded that she wasn't a man and he wasn't sure he welcomed those little… insights.


	8. Sarcasm doesn't become you

Dean frowned as Ash got up on her feet. Sure, she could stand up, as long as she didn't support her weight on that leg but it sure as hell didn't look very stable.

"What now?" Dean asked.

"I need to go talk to Vargas about the attack," she replied coolly. "And get a room to you," she added, as she limped past him.

"I can get a room myself, you know."

"Probably, but you can't speak to Vargas. The poor man would be stunned by your… _classiness_," Ash explained as well as she could. The truth was that she didn't want Dean out there alone more than necessary. Even if he was discrete and cunning, he'd still end up being hated. Especially by Vargas.

The ghoul rolled his eyes, clearly the girl _was _underestimating him and he didn't care that much right now to correct her in that matter. She'd just have to learn it herself.

"Fine, but I'd suggest you hurry with it. The faster you heal, the faster we can move on," he frowned, as he walked out after her, lighting a cigar.

Ash waved it off for now, heading as fast as she could towards the dinosaur statue, opening the door to it. The dino-shop's owner, Cliff Briscoe was standing behind the desk as expected, although he was busy jawing when Ash entered. He stopped with that immediately, once he saw who it was, replacing the jaw with a grin. In his hand he had a miniature dinosaur toy, much like the statue.

"Well, hello there, Ash!" he waved happily, as Dean arched an eyebrow under his glasses, glancing at Ash.

"Hello, Cliff. Is Manny up there?" Ash asked, pointing towards the stairs that led up to the dinosaur's mouth.

"Sure is," the man nodded.

"Great, thanks," she said, as she worked her way up the stairs, using the railing on the wall to make it easier.

Manny turned to look at her the second she opened the door to the little sniper holdout.

"Oh, Ash. Hello," Manny greeted her with a brief nod, before looking down at her bandaged leg.

"Hey. Uh, there's something you should know about. We killed an ambusher down the road to New Vegas on our way here," she explained as she pointed with her thumb in the general direction she spoke of. Manny looked that way, shaking his head.

"The one place we don't have a good eye on," he frowned. "Only one ambusher?"

"Yeah. But there's a few corpses now and a dead Brahmin."

"Alright, I'll send someone to clean that up. You sure you're alright though? Guess that bastard hit you?" Manny was looking down at her leg now, before he looked up at her again.

"I'm fine," Ash waved it off, as Dean scoffed behind her. Manny looked to him now, eyes narrowing briefly at the stranger that resembled… well nothing that Novac had.

"New companion?" he asked.

"Yes," she replied casually, glancing back at Dean. As usual it was impossible to tell where his eyes really were looking but she had a bad feeling they were perched on her at the moment.

"I see. Make sure he doesn't cause any trouble here, we got enough of that already," Manny frowned.

"Excuse me?" Dean interrupted, an eyebrow lifted by now.

"Alright, we were just leaving!" Ash piped up as she opened the door and gently ushered Dean through it, before following herself and shutting it behind her.

"That was unnecessary," Dean glared at her, awfully tempted to go back through the door though he really did know better than to raise trouble. Not to say bothering with it even. That Vargas seemed like nothing but a simple guard, in other words way below Dean's far attention span.

"Perhaps, but I was done talking to him anyway. He's very… suspicious sometimes," Ash said airily.

"I'll say…" Dean frowned, glaring at the door now, even as they walked back down.

"Hey, Cliff. Got any spare rooms?" Ash called down to the man at the counter.

"Plenty. For some reason we haven't gotten many travelers the last days," he said thoughtfully, as she and Dean paused by him again.

"I wonder why," Dean said drily. Ash didn't comment, as she simply threw up a small bag of caps on the counter. Cliff accepted it before putting a key on the counter.

"Room next to yours," he gestured with his head towards the key.

"Thanks."

Ash took the key, waving once to Cliff before tossing the key over to Dean who caught it mid-air, giving it a brief glance, before following her outside. He continued to follow her, as she walked around, although slowly, to find them a decent dinner, before they turned in. Ash appreciated the early night, considering the lack of sleep the former had given her. And she also wanted to head to sleep while the med-x was still active.

* * *

><p>She woke up the next morning by some bickering going on outside her door, leaving her frowning down into the pillow she was sleeping on. But she jumped when someone suddenly banged at the door, startling her. Grabbing the pistol from the nightstand, she dashed up to her feet, opening the door abruptly.<p>

As the door flung open, she felt it impact with something or someone rather. An exclaimed 'blast it!' followed by Dean abruptly grabbing hold of the door to push it further open and glare at her, told her just who she had hit. His other hand was busy rubbing his forehead that was red in the places that still had skin on them. On the other side of the door, stood No-Bark looking as suspicious as always, though he was peering at Ash now as well.

"Found this commie ghoul here, figured he was here to assassinate you! Or me! Who knows?" he exclaimed. "I should be stickin' him with my sticky knife!"

Ash holstered the weapon, moving to rub the brink of her nose.

"Sorry, Dean," she said as she looked up at him, still rubbing his forehead. He had taken off the glasses by now to have easier access so she could perfectly well see how sharply he was glaring at her.

"Do me a favor and check _before_ you open the bloody door?" he huffed. "Not all of us fancy being injured."

"Someone was yelling out here, I got nervous," she explained, realizing suddenly that the sudden dart from the bed to the door really had made a number on her leg. The bandage was all red, but that was from the general bleeding during the night. She shifted her weight to her healthy leg, sighing.

"No-Bark, everything here is fine, there's no need to be alarmed. Dean's a friend of mine and not a… what did you call him?"

"Commie ghoul. A rich one to boot! Always suspicious!"  
>"…Well, he's not that," Ash rolled her eyes, as she gestured for Dean to get into her room. "I'll see you later, No-Bark. You'd better check the rest of the town just in case," she added casually, as the bearded man's eyes widened, before he scurried down the stairs like a three-legged mole rat.<p>

Once Dean was inside, she shut the door and sat back down on the bed, lifting her injured leg onto it, unrolling the bandage slowly.

"What… were you two doing anyway?" she asked carefully, as Dean stood by the door, very well aware of the red mark planted right onto his forehead. The fact that Ash had the nerve to smirk when she saw it, made him narrow his eyes in warning.

"I was on my way to wake you up when that… barmy fellow interrupted me. Met him yesterday too. I could have done very well without _either _encounter, mind you," he frowned, as he inspected the glasses in his hands, before putting them on again.

"No-Bark is very… special. A tad too many radscorpion stings to his head, or so he says."

Ash leant over the whole bed to reach the first aid kit on the floor on the other side of it, but she ended up on her stomach, stretching stubbornly after it. After a few moments of that, and Dean watching as if she was a lunatic, she finally got it and sat up normally, pulling out a fresh bandage from it.

Before putting it on, she poured most of the contents from a whiskey bottle over the wound, entirely forgetting that she wasn't under the effects of med-x anymore. So a rather nasty sequence of curses followed the treatment, as she fisted one of her hands at the burning sensation on her leg. Dean had cringed at the string of curses, folding his arms across his chest now.

"We honestly need to train you away from that habit," he declared, almost sharply.

"What?"

"Your habit of cursing. It's grating on my ears. Not to say rude."

Ash arched an eyebrow at him.

"You don't have any ears," she finally smirked, making the ghoul glare at her.

"I can still hear, _unfortunately _in this case!" he scoffed. "Like I said, we need to change your… choice of words."

"You told me once that style isn't something you change."

"Oh, that doesn't apply to you, my dear, you _have_ no style to speak of," Dean waved it off.

Ash sighed, as she continued to roll the bandage around her now much cleaner leg.

"Alright, I'll try to speak in a cleaner manner, oh, sir," she said drily, as she clasped the last bit on before putting her leather boots back on and getting up on her feet carefully.

"Sarcasm doesn't become you, partner," Dean said, not impressed by her tone. He if anyone recognized sarcasm when he heard it and knew better than to take it seriously. But he had to admit, she was in an incredibly snappy mood today.

"I hope you know we can't really continue anywhere today, right?" she asked him carefully, as she grabbed the hunting rifle, hanging it over her shoulder. Dean shot her leg a quick look.

"I could figure that one out myself. But next time, maybe you shouldn't be that clumsy," he told her, opening the door since he stood closest to it, stepping outside.

"But why are you leaving the room then?" he asked, as they walked down the stairs.

"Beyond getting breakfast?" she asked. "I can't really sit in the room all day, I'd go crazy."

"Seems to me you already are that a bit," he snorted.

"I apologized about the door already! You know I'm easily alarmed."

"I know _now_."

Ash didn't bother replying to that last thing, as she made sure to get them some decent breakfast for once, over a fire by one of the public eating areas. Or as decent as it could get out there. At least Dean seemed to have gotten over the idea of complaining about it every time at least.

"So just what do you do, a day like this when you can't really… move?" Dean ventured to ask after they had had their meal and just sitting at the table, staring aimlessly. Ash scratched her cheek thoughtfully, surprised at the question but she didn't comment on it.

"Practice my shooting or… clean my weapons. Maybe find someone to play a game of caravan with," she shrugged a bit uncomfortably. She rarely traveled alone these days so usually finding something to do wasn't a problem. Granted… Raul and Cass, even Boone, were easier to talk to than Dean. Dean just had this air around him that he'd brush her off if she even bothered asking him anything.

The ghoul was watching her, again, before he stabbed the cigar into the table, putting it out.

"Sounds boring," he declared.

Ash merely rested the side of her face in her left hand now, circling the wooden pattern on the table with her finger.

Yes, at times like this, she really missed her old companions. They cared, they talked… hell, they were helpful, she thought with a loud snort. She didn't much mind Dean, he just wasn't as… fun as them. She stretched down to check on her leg, making sure the bandage was tight enough, but mostly just to have something to do now that a certain awkward silence had surrounded them.

"Oh," Dean said suddenly. "We should buy mines."

"What? What for?" Ash asked, blinking at him. She hadn't seen that question coming at all.

"It'd make camping outside a lot easier, of course. In most cases we wouldn't even need a guard, which means proper rest, which in the end means less risk of you getting yourself _shot_ again."

"Uhm, well. I'm all for that not happening again," she admitted. "But you'll have to deal with them, I know nothing of explosives."

"But of course," he smirked. "Wouldn't want you blowing off your pretty little fingers, would we? Which most certainly _would_ happen."

Ash rolled her eyes. His condescending tone was just that, condescending. But for some reason it was starting to lose its effect. Already back in the Sierra Madre, she figured it was just how he was, or a defensive mechanism. Granted, she had always had the patience of a god around him, since she had figured that out, but sometimes his insults had struck home whether she wanted to admit it or not, even to herself.

Perhaps it was for the best if she didn't try and compare him to her other friends all the time and just made the best she could of the situation. Dean could insult and whine all he wanted to. He still depended on her to get him to his friend, even if he wouldn't admit it. That realization was enough for her to cheer up a bit, knowing that she wasn't as worthless as he tried to make her out to be. And she mentally told herself for daring to think so for even a second. It was she who could headshot a Deathclaw, not him.

If she was going to have to put up with his real self, he'd damned well have to put up with hers.

"Yes, we'll buy you some mines, Dean," she smiled suddenly at him, a genuine, rare smile. He didn't respond to it except with a slightly confused look.

"That's a dodgy smile if I ever saw one," he said afterwards.

"What?" she laughed. "Smiles are not dodgy, Dean. They're just that. Smiles. And it felt like ages ago I really smiled," she admitted.

"Rubbish. You've smiled before. Like a child, I'll add," he scoffed.

"Perhaps. But it's still not dodgy," she persisted.

They both jumped abruptly at the sudden scream from behind them, towards the hotel. No-Bark was running across the old street, as fast as he could without stumbling, which wasn't very fast.

"Mole rat men! They have come for my beard at last!" he shouted, as he rounded the hotel, disappearing somewhere behind the corner. By the sound of it, he had managed to run right into a Brahmin, as the startled animal let out a rough 'moo', followed by a wandering trader cursing out No-Bark.

Ash and Dean were both looking after him, before Ash lowered her head, giving the direction a simple point with her finger.

"Now _that's_ a dodgy thing if I ever saw one," she chuckled to Dean, who facepalmed with a groan.


	9. Don't be daft

Much to Dean's chagrin, Ash's leg hadn't improved during that whole day. She counted on this, he obviously didn't. While she spent a lot of that day trying to calm down No-bark, he idled about, doing what he did best. Wait.

Because honestly wasn't that what he had done the last 200 years? Wait? To be honest he was _pretty_ tired of that now but it had ended up well in the end. Sort of. He hadn't _died_, but he hadn't gotten a sniff of whatever had been in the casino either. _If_ there had been anything in there. He had already asked Ash; unable to stop the curiosity anymore, but she had just said it had all been a giant trap that would have killed anyone. Particularly meant for him.

Blast it, Sinclair. Good thing he was already dead, or Dean would have been tempted to put a bullet in his head. Or have Ash do it at least, less mess for him.

So the day did run by slowly, with him just following Ash from a distance. So did the evening, until night fell and morning arrived.

* * *

><p>Morning arrived with startling Ash out of her bed again, this time with a gentler knock than before. So she didn't feel she had to rush out with a pistol this time and she was very glad that she had the habit of sleeping with clothes on, especially considering what had happened the last morning.<p>

As she opened the door, a woman stood there, her face red and swollen from what seemed to be a lot of hands were clutched to her chest, as she gave Ash a very nervous look. Her clothes were ragged and filled with stains of both dirt and tears by now, obviously not one of the more fortunate folks in the town. As in fact Ash couldn't even remember seeing her before.

"Are you Ash? One of my neighbors mentioned you were in town. That you had helped them before and that you know your way around the cliffs here. I was… hoping you could help me," the woman said, her voice shaking.

"What's going on?" Ash asked, running a hand over her head, trying to wake up a bit.

"My son… he's gone missing. He's nowhere to find and no one else has seen him! I'm afraid he's got lost somewhere in the cliffs. Boy's such an explorer, wouldn't be the first time he's been as foolish as to head up there. I know it's a lot to ask for a stranger but… please, could you go look for him? He's all I have."

Ash rubbed her forehead briefly. Her leg was better sure, but she couldn't say that she was ready to take on something like this. But the woman seemed really desperate and she did understand the pain of loss, that was for sure.

"I… I'll look into it but I can't promise anything," she sighed, removing her hand.

"Oh thank you! Anything you can do will be helpful!" The woman managed to get a smile forth but it was quickly rendered into the same agonizing expression as before.

"When did you see him last?" Ash asked.

"Afternoon, yesterday. I spent all evening trying to find him but…" the woman muttered, putting one hand over her eyes, fighting back tears again. "Poor boy, he must be fine… he must be."

Ash grimaced, the kid had been away, alone, in the night of the Mojave. Damnit, sometimes she simply was too nice. Now she had given hope to a mother who had most likely lost her son already.

"Right," she muttered. "Do you know where he usually likes to go?"

"Not… really, no. I've never seen him come or leave the cliffs. But the area isn't that big… surely you can just… check around?" the woman pleaded, clutching her hands together again.

"I will, I will. Where can I find you later?"

"One of the middle houses… I believe it's where the former hotel owner used to live, before she sadly died."

Ash cleared her throat quietly, turning it into a cough quickly enough. Luckily the other woman was too disconcerted to really pay any greater attention to it.

"Yes, I know where that is," Ash said instead. "I'll find you when I'm done," she added with a nod.

The woman gave a shaky nod back before leaving for the stairs, as Ash shut the door to head back inside. She gathered some of her things, mostly just her weapons and a bottle of water, as well as a few stimpacks and med-x, because her leg wasn't going to like this.

Once she had everything she needed, she left the room again, to head over to Dean's. She knocked once before opening it, surprised to find that the door handle actually obeyed her. She was so used to just knocking and walking into rooms, one of her flaws according to Raul, but she would have expected Dean to keep his door locked, as paranoid he was.

"Dean, I was just –"she started, stopping short in the doorway, as she realized she was staring right at Dean's back. _Naked_ back, to be correct. The ghoul looked over his shoulder quickly, holding a white shirt in his hands. Ash stood there, like a fool, until he planted his palm on her face, pushing her back out and shutting the door.

"_Ow!"_ she exclaimed, clutching at her nose since he had _kindly_ ignored the fact she still had one and it didn't much appreciate having pressure applied to it. A few moments passed, consisting of her rubbing her nose, before the door opened again, Dean standing there with his hand pressed to the other side of the door.

"It had _better_ be important!" he said sharply, as Ash gave him a quick look, noting that he had his white shirt on now, although he still hadn't buttoned the top part of it. Her look clearly made him realize this, as he started doing it, narrowing his eyes at her.

"Are you blushing?" he finally asked, arching an eyebrow.

"What? _No_!" she protested quickly, knowing well she was considering how warm her face felt, and she had no idea why she was blushing to begin with. A naked back wasn't new to her.

"Well, I certainly haven't gone blind, you know…" Dean said drily.

"And why would I be blushing? Do you _want_ me to blush?" she retorted, hoping to make him drop it.

"Don't be daft," he snorted, as he finished with the shirt, brushing at the collar once before leaving it be. "I assume you barged into my room for a reason, yes?"

Ash very nearly let out a sigh of relief at her trick working. Clearly, talking about her being uncomfortable and awkward was only fun as long as it remained about her and not him. That's when he'd get… somewhat defensive.

"Right…" she said quietly. "Well, I'm going to help a woman find her kid that's gone lost somewhere in the cliffs."

Dean arched an eyebrow before he looked down at her leg.

"If you're that healthy we should get on with our trip instead," he noted.

"I'm not. But I… eh, kind of made her hopeful so, now I pretty much have to try. It shouldn't get worse, as long as I don't fall. The kid's probably just lost; there are not even much dangerous things among the cliffs, except Legion. For someone like me anyway, I don't think a kid would last very long there though."

"Why are you so bloody… nice," he frowned, running a hand along his cheek, rubbing it thoughtfully. She _was_ honestly too nice for her own good. It just made him wonder even more how she hadn't been backstabbed or tricked to the point of death yet. Lucky for her, she was skilled however, so maybe it had happened a lot, she just had killed whoever had done it. Not always though… as he recalled the fact she had gotten shot in the head once.

"Well… I suppose we should get it over with then?" he asked, as he disappeared into his room for a brief moment before coming back, holstering the pistol as he did so, as well as putting on the familiar glasses.

"Wait, what? We?" Ash asked. "You don't need to come along, Dean. You'd just be annoyed."

"Nonsense. I want to come with you."

"I'm not sure…"

"I'm coming with you," he frowned at her not getting the point.

Ash downright stared at him now, so he assumed he had to offer some kind of explanation. There were two actually, he didn't much like being alone for long. He had had enough of it in the Sierra Madre, and by now he was getting spoiled by her constant company to clank down on. Her company in general. But that was one explanation he wasn't going to voice, oh no.

"If you get yourself killed out there, I'd have no way of knowing it and I am certainly not going to stay in this town, alone, for more than necessary," he shrugged. Half-truth anyway. He swore he saw a flicker of disappointment cross her face briefly, before she nodded once.

"Wouldn't want that to happen, would we?" she smirked amused. "As said, the most dangerous thing to find out there would be… well, Legion, but I doubt we're that lucky to find them twice."

"Oh, the supposedly fancy murderers?"

"… Yes, Dean. Those."

Ash walked down the stairs, followed by Dean as soon as he had locked the door to his room. She noted that he hadn't put on his jacket, which was… shocking enough. She was used to seeing him in it, so now it was difficult to not watch him, just because it looked so strange. The worst thing was that he pulled it off, as much as he did with the actual jacket on.

"Why… why not the jacket?" she finally inquired, as they left the town's perimeter and paused briefly at the slopes leading up among the cliffs.

"Warm enough weather today," he shrugged. "Besides, if we're going to spend time with a kid, I'd rather not risk getting my jacket ruined…"

"Let me guess, you don't like kids?" Ash asked him amused, as she applied the med-x to her leg, as well as a stimpacks just to counter effect any possible strain on the wounds. They were healing fine; it wasn't that, she just didn't want to take any more risks, than she already was.

"I don't," he confirmed.

"Well, good thing you can't have any anymore then," she grinned, as she started to climb up the slope. Dean looked after her, looking insulted for some reason.

"What's that supposed to mean?" he asked tersely, as he started walking up, too annoyed at the moment to even complain about the fact they were climbing upwards. "Better not be hinting at my age…" he muttered, mostly to himself, though unfortunately Ash had better hearing than he had first assumed.

"Age?" she blinked. "No, it's the radiation. You ghouls can't have kids, because you're all sterile because of it." She looked over her shoulder, both having paused now. Why on earth was she explaining this to him for?

"Oh," was all Dean said, as he pondered what response to give to this all of the sudden. "Well, that's a relief!" he said afterwards, trying to wave it off, hoping she'd drop it.

Ash gave him a slight frown before she looked as if the realization suddenly hit her.

"Oh, you meant…. never mind," she groaned, as she started walking again, faster this time, as if eager to get away from the conversation. For the first time she appreciated the silence between them, until it got so thick that it only became uncomfortable.

It took some wandering around among the cliffs to actually find anything, and that alone took around 30 minutes. Enough for the former, embarrassing conversation to be forgotten about, mostly anyway. The find was actually a cave, a cave Ash couldn't remember when she had been wandering around Novac. Granted that had been a long while back. There had probably been at least one monsoon since she had last been among the cliffs and those heavy rainfalls had a habit of changing landmarks if they really wanted to.

"Well, I know for a fact there's no actual caves here and this would look inviting enough for a kid, wouldn't it?" she suggested, gesturing with her hands to the cave entrance. Dean tilted his head to the side for a moment.

"No?" he said flatly afterwards, giving her a look.

"Alright, maybe not a pre-war kid then, but for a young explorer this would surely be interesting."

She activated the light from the pip-boy, as she stepped inside the cave, her eyes trying to adjust to the darkness inside of it. The light from the device on her arm helped, but it wasn't exactly a flashlight you could aim everywhere.

"Aye you… sure about this?" Dean asked, as he walked up behind her, taking off his sunglasses, because honestly they only made his sight worse in here.

"It's just a cave. What's the worst that can happen?" she chuckled, as she followed the luckily broad cave further inside.

"A lot, I reckon," he huffed, as he stayed close to her. _Not_ because he was afraid, he just didn't want them to get split up here. That would be very… unnerving. For her, of course.

Ash noticed his proximity alright, finding it amusing, because he had done the same in the Sierra Madre during dark or dangerous areas.

The cave ended up into a more narrow tunnel, and a brief shadow darted by in it, disappearing in small, fast footsteps.

"Alright, I'd assume the worst that could happen is… something fast," Ash said casually, as Dean rolled his eyes.

"Let me guess, we're going towards the sound?" he asked.

"Yep. Well, I think it's geckos that live here, because they're usually in this area and this place is damp enough for them," she said, as she touched the nearest wall, showing her hand afterwards that had water drops on it already. It was quite cold in here too.

They continued down the tunnel, Ash having pulled out the hunting rifle by now. Dean remained unarmed, mostly because he trusted that Ash would shoot anything before it came near. If it was in fact just geckos, they weren't going to be a problem to her. The only real problem they would get is if they needed to run, because… honestly, that was one thing Ash wasn't good at right now.

Dean slammed his hand over shoulder suddenly, having felt something drip down on it. He grimaced, muttering something under his breath. This wasn't really his kind of place at all, why had he agreed to come along? No, why had he insisted to come along? This one was entirely on himself.

A scaly creature suddenly rushed out from the darkness ahead of them, hissing and baring its row of sharp, small teeth. It had barely made itself visible until Ash reacted by pure instinct, planting a bullet in its head. The gecko fell over on its head, but something else caught her attention afterwards.

"Did you hear that?" she asked Dean.

"Heard what?"

"Sounded as if someone called…"

"Well, now you're delusional too. A good sign that we should leave this place…" he snorted. Ash dismissed him though as she stepped over the dead gecko, to enter another room of the cave. It was large and she was sure she saw a lot of geckos skulking somewhere in the back, but they weren't foremost in her mind right now, as she looked upwards, when some pebbles fell down on them. Someone was whispering up there before a young boy's face popped up from the edge.

He looked terrified, dirty and more than a little ragged, so Ash could only assume it was the boy they were looking for.

"Please, help…" he pleaded quietly, probably terrified to be heard by the geckos. Ash nodded quickly, before her gaze fell back on the geckos, which seemed to be minding their own business well enough so far. She looked back at the cliff, gauging the distance up to the boy and whether he could jump down it or not. Probably not, else he would have already.

"Alright, I'll climb up and get the boy. Can you keep an eye on the geckos?" she asked Dean who arched both eyebrows, even though she barely saw it in the darkness.

"Are you mad?" he huffed, but she ignored it as she put the hunting rifle in his hands.

"Can you use one of those?"

"Uh…" he muttered, as he grabbed it properly. "Of course…" he added afterwards just as doubtfully. Ash doubted he could, but there was no time to argue the matter, as she started to heave herself up the cliff's slippery wall. The light from the pip-boy was a necessary evil right now, without it she couldn't see anything and with it, the odds of the geckos spotting them were higher.

The cliff wall wasn't more than four meters or so, high enough for a boy to not dare make the jump, especially if he was as terrified as he looked. Ash couldn't really fit in the small hole in the wall that he had been hiding in, so she had to keep her elbows over the edge, looking at him now.

"Come here. We're here to get you out, your mother sent us," she said quickly, reaching after him.

"I can't!" he muttered. "It's so high."

"You got up here somehow, so come on now. We don't have time to be afraid," Ash muttered, as she grabbed his arm now. "My friend will shoot any geckos that come after us."

Alright, that was a lie, but she had to say something else the boy wouldn't comply. He seemed to accept this, thankfully, crawling closer to her, so she could tell him to wrap his arms around her neck.

More pebbles were thrown to the ground during the process, some of them making way too much noise for Dean's comfort. One even landed on his shoulder as he moved to the side, glaring upwards where Ash was trying to climb back down again with the damned kid hanging around her neck like a monkey.

It was when one of the larger rocks that fell, that also rolled down the small slope down to the wider part of the cave, banging against the ground in every bounce it made, that the geckos were alerted. Their shrieks and screeches were very loud, as their shadows bounded around all over the room.

"Shit," Ash muttered, not really trusting Dean's ability to keep a small army of geckos at bay after all.

"You need to jump," she told the kid who looked down briefly, mumbling something about not daring to. "You have to! Dean, catch him!" she continued, as she pulled the boy off her neck.

"What?" Dean exclaimed, as he looked upwards, barely managing to put away the weapon when the kid landed on him. It wasn't fully on him, more like throwing the momentum off the ghoul. He half managed to catch him, but it resulted in him landing back first into the other rough wall, hissing at the pain that burned through his back. He dropped the kid quickly, collecting himself well enough to grip the rifle properly again, as the kid backed off quickly, staring at the geckos in the dark.

"We might want to move. _Now_," Dean announced through gritted teeth, as he was backing as well, when one sudden gecko approached them from the shadows. It lunged right at Ash who was still on the wall. The attack forced her to drop her grip on the wall, so she fell pretty hard on her back, the gecko over her, trying to claw her arms away from her face. She managed to punch it right into its eye, before a shot went off, as it fell backwards, half its face missing from its skull now. The remains of it landed next to her, much to her brief relief.

Ash paused briefly, as she managed to look behind her, upside down though. She didn't get that far though, as Dean suddenly grabbed her shoulder, pulling at her. His pulling combined with her own kicking into the ground, although painfully, finally got her up on her feet.

"Did you just shoot near me with a weapon you can't control?" she demanded from Dean who frowned back at her.

"I can handle it just fine! Some gratitude, _partner_!" he protested.

"Uh, people…" the boy muttered anxiously, as Ash looked back towards the geckos, most of them scurrying towards them not the best situation to be bickering in, no.

"Go, go!" she called out, as the boy and Dean both started to make a run for it, although the latter was slower, since he did recall Ash's leg injury. She was ignoring it for now though, half running, and half limping through the tunnel, before she grabbed the weapon from Dean, as she started to walk backwards towards the cave's entrance.

Two geckos ran out from the tunnel, but she shot them down before they got too close, but another three were coming out right afterwards and right now she was loading the rifle as fast as she could. A rock flew by her, landing right on the nearest gecko, so it stopped to hold its head with a low confused shriek. A quick look over her shoulder told her that the boy was standing outside in the sunlight, throwing rocks at the geckos.

She abandoned trying to load the rifle, as another gecko was basically on her now. She turned the rifle around in her hand, as the gecko leaped at her with its mouth open, before the blunt end of the rifle hit its head, slamming it away to the side. The second one stumbled after a shot was heard, but it got up again, until two more shots hit its chest and it fell dead to the ground, its tongue rolling out of its mouth on the floor.

Ash turned around now, making a run for it, as she spotted Dean in the entrance, holding the pistol aimed at the third gecko that was still being bombarded with rocks. It seemed to have enough, as it retreated back into the cave, its shrieks echoing all the way out to the entrance.

"Well!" Ash chuckled, as she tried to catch her breath. "That could have been worse," she added bracingly, glancing to Dean who didn't share her breathing problem. He just lowered the pistol, giving her a glare.

"The things you make me do, woman," he scoffed, as he holstered the weapon again.

"Always," she smirked, before she turned to the boy who was looking at them both now. She ruffled the hair on his head, causing him to giggle briefly, probably relieved to be out of the cave. "Come on, we should get back to town, your mother's surely anxious to see you," she added as she changed her grip to his shoulders before giving him a gentle push to start walking along with her.

Dean put his hand over his back, grimacing a bit as he fell in slightly behind them. Someone was going to take the blame for his back and he knew exactly who, he thought dismally as he glared at Ash's back. Damn woman, for throwing a blasted _kid_ at him.

* * *

><p>All three were visibly thankful to be back in Novac and the boy's mother had apparently been standing outside her house, while waiting for their return. Whatever doubts Ash have had about the whole 'mission' disappeared now because the boy's mother nearly collapsed onto the ground, as she went to hug the child, who hugged her back, clearly happy to be home.<p>

Ash folded her arms across her chest with an easy smile on her face, before she glanced at Dean who had lit another cigar by now, if only to calm himself down from the little adventure in the cave. And remove the pain.

The mother stood up, taking Ash's hands in her, before taking Dean's too before he could protest about it. He brushed his hand off the side of his shirt afterwards, as the woman returned to looking at Ash.

"Thank you so much. I don't have much but I'll repay you as best I can," she said, the gratitude threatening to overwhelm her, as she started pulling out a pouch of caps from a clasp in her belt.

"No need," Ash waved it off, as the woman paused. "We were just glad to help out."

Dean mouthed a 'were we?' to her, before he rolled his eyes. _Way_ too nice, he concluded!

"You really are as good as the others said," the woman smiled, as she pulled her boy close again, before they started walking towards their house.

"So… you turned down the money for preforming actual work?" Dean asked Ash, folding his arms across his chest. "I'm starting to think you're just as barmy as… whatever his name was now again!" he huffed, waving with his left hand.

"Perhaps," Ash simply shrugged, as she looked after the other two. "Felt good anyway."

"Hng," Dean merely muttered through gritted teeth, as he let his arms fall to his sides. Keeping them folded only increased the burn in his back.

"Are you alright?" Ash asked, noticing the brief painful grimace in his expression, first now. Before she had been too busy with either running or trying to make it back to Novac alive, to really notice.

"I'm fine. No thanks to you though," the ghoul frowned irritated, as he moved his hand back again to touch the sore area. Ash rolled her eyes, grabbing his shoulder suddenly to turn him over, spotting the blood that had gone through the fabric of his shirt.

"Oh," she said a bit dumbfounded, now that she knew where his annoyance came from. "How did that happen?"

"How? When you threw the blasted kid down on me!" he scowled, as he brushed her hand away, turning back to look at her. "Knocked me into the wall…"

"Hum… sorry about that. We should take a look at it though."

"What? No, I can do that myself."

"… It's on your back, Dean. How are you going to reach it?"

"I don't need your help; this is your fault to start with."

Ash's eyes narrowed suddenly.

"My fault? _I'm _not the one who insisted on tagging along, Dean! As in fact I'm trying to be helpful here!" she said sharply, giving him a firm poke in his chest. The ghoul opened his mouth before shutting it again.

_Dammit._

"Perhaps. I can still do it without your help though," he persisted, as he turned to walk towards the hotel.

"We can't afford that getting infected. At least let me get the town's doctor to look at it?" Ash called after him, as she caught up to him, the best she could with her leg.

"Nooo," he protested again, lifting his palms as she sided with him again. "She clearly doesn't know what she's doing; I wouldn't trust her with treating my worst enemy. Or maybe I would, would certainly be some entertainment…"

"Do you trust me?" Ash asked, out of nowhere really. The ghoul peered at her for a while, his mind going through the possible answers he could give. He did… trust her to an extent, that was true.

"Maybe," he grunted.

"Do you want it to get infected and delay our trip with another few days?" she asked, arching an eyebrow.

"No."

"Alright… I think you've just gotten a large scrape on your back, but it could still need some alcohol poured on it. Don't worry, Dean, I'll be most respectful."

"Like you were this morning?"

"That doesn't count," she waved it off, as he rolled his eyes. "Go to your room, I'll grab the first aid kit from mine, alright?"

Dean ran a hand across his face with a sigh, as he complied. And he only complied because it was the best for the trip, if she was right, doubtfully so, he didn't want to be the cause for another delay. Ash could have that honor to herself.

The first thing he did in his room was to enter the bathroom to check for the mirror he remembered seeing there. It was all cracked though and wouldn't be very useful. So he couldn't very well treat the wound himself.

By the time he got back out again, Ash entered the room, dropping the kit on the bed, before pulling out a bottle of whiskey from one of her pockets. Dean sat down at the bed's corner, grimacing again as the very motion of it stung across his back. As much as he hated this and the awkwardness of it, he had to admit he had missed… being pampered. Perhaps if it had been under a different situation and not by the one he indirectly blamed the injury for…

Alright, so maybe it had been an accident, but still.

Also, he didn't like exposing his back or neck to anyone, though Ash was about the only person alive today that he would. If he really had to. Which he did now. Muttering under his breath, he pulled off his shirt, with some effort since the fabric met resistance at the scrape.

"Yow, yeah that's a scrape wound alright," Ash grimaced, as a lot of his right back was nothing but a red spot of dried blood by now. Like most ghouls, his entire spine was exposed, all the way up to his neck. It always seemed rather… hazardous to Ash, but then, her own spine wasn't protected much either. Much to her relief, the wound had landed on the side of his back that actually had most of the skin left. The left side of the spine was… mostly just exposed muscles.

Also she had no idea why she was noting these things, as she grabbed the whiskey bottle, before making a small grimace as she poured it over the wound. Dean went rigid, a reaction she expected.

"Bloody…!" he said sharply, giving her a glare over his shoulder. "A little warning next time, maybe?"

"Pfft, don't be such a baby," she snorted, as she grabbed some clean cloth from the kit, drenching it in fresh water, before stroking it over the wound as well.

"I'm not! It's a healthy reaction when drenching a wound in alcohol… you might as well have used salt inst- _dammit!_" he called out, as he realized she had poured more alcohol over it while he was talking.

"Alright, all done!" she grinned, patting his shoulder, before getting up on her feet, leaving Dean with his hand over his face, groaning. So much for pampering, it hadn't been that, it had been torture. Granted, it was still better than trying to awkwardly reach such a wound himself.

"I'd recommend keeping the shirt off, to let it heal better. I think you ghouls heal a lot faster than humans. If not more easily anyway," she said. "I'll come back soon with some food, so you don't have to worry about that," she added, before she left the room, leaving him alone to his own thoughts.

Thoughts that were widely interrupted by the very stinging pain in his back. And the fact he was sure he heard Ash laughing on her way to her room.

* * *

><p><strong>I figured it was time to actually insert some eh... 'innuendos'. It's now the fun begin. ;)<strong>


	10. Stupid ghoul

For once, Ash was the first one up by the next day, her bag and weapons lying next to her on the balcony outside her and all the other rooms. Well, Dean had to be pleased once he realized they could finally be on their way. Despite the rather… taxing extra trip yesterday, her leg was perfectly fine. At least fine enough to walk on for a while.

She stretched lazily, just as Dean exited his room. He paused briefly upon seeing her, before he shut the door again. He was dressed properly this time, jacket and all and the glasses were on their usual spot on his face.

"Oh, are we finally able to get this trip over with?" he asked, as she finished stretching, cracking her fingers quickly afterwards. Dean cringed abruptly.

"Stop that," he said with a frown.

"What?" Ash asked startled, as she cracked her index finger this time. She was surprised when he suddenly grabbed her hand, stopping her from doing it again.

"That. Stop it," he pointed out, gesturing to her hands, before letting go.

"Ooh… you're one of those who hate that sound, huh?" she asked amused, too amused for his taste. She wriggled her fingers briefly without producing the sound, but she could see that he was expecting it any second, like he'd expect a blow to the face.

"Yes, I am. Don't do it again," he said.

"Or what?" Ash challenged him.

"Oh, this is going to be such a splendid day," Dean muttered, leaning his elbow on his other arm, rubbing his forehead.

Ash sighed at her challenge not being met and she would have continued to push it if it wasn't for the fact that a kid was rushing up the stairs. She recognized him as the boy they had rescued the other day, being a lot cleaner. Actually clean enough to see that his hair color was brown and just not a big lump of something… dirty.

Ash barely had the time to react as the whole balcony shook at the kid's speed, the sound of shoes against metal clanging in the air, before he had rushed up to throw himself around Dean's chest. The ghoul lost all breath, coughing in the process.

"Get of me, you little runt!" he called out, as he pushed the child away abruptly, before brushing a fold right again on his jacket.

"Deaaan," Ash scolded the ghoul slowly before folding her arms across her chest, as he gave her a look when he tugged at his collar. He glared down at the kid before giving him a quick pat on his head, much like he would a dog.

"Now get lost," he huffed afterwards. Luckily the boy hadn't really taken Dean's former words seriously, as he bounded off to hug Ash too, who at least returned the favor. She waved at the kid who continued down the stairs, towards his mother who was talking to one of the traveling merchants. She waved at the two up on the balcony before she and the child walked around the hotel corner.

"Stupid brats," Dean muttered, as he walked down the stairs, followed by an almost giggling Ash.

"Kids nowadays usually aren't _brats,_ Dean. I'm sure_ you_ were a real brat however," she said calmly.

"I was not! Even so, that has nothing to do with it. I grew up in a different era… luckily."

"True," the woman admitted, even though she had a funny image of Dean as a child now, all snobby and… bratty. In a tuxedo. Honestly, the picture made her laugh out loud as they left Novac behind them, about time probably according to Dean.

Dean rolled his eyes at her sudden laughter, before giving her a sideways look. Her laughter had reminded him of something for a moment, a long-forgotten memory. He narrowed his eyes briefly under his glasses before barely shaking his head. Old memories of the past were a foolish thing to think about.

"So I take it you weren't a brat when you were a child?" he asked coolly, lighting a cigar as they walked along the same broken down road that led in among the cliffs outside of Novac.

"I don't think so," Ash arched an eyebrow, at this sudden inquiry. Well, she shouldn't complain since she did enjoy talking about something at least. Maybe not herself but… hell, if it got a certain ghoul chatting.

"We weren't rich, but we had it alright. Dad taught me how to shoot properly already as a kid," she shrugged amused. "Mom taught me a few things about surviving, regarding plants and such."

"Handy skills to have," Dean nodded, sounding honest enough. "Where are they now?"

Ash fell silent for a while, making the ghoul lower his cigar briefly as he looked at her. She noticed it fairly fast as she had glanced at him, so she turned her attention forward quickly.

"They're dead," she replied firmly, but her tone somehow revealed that there was more to it. Dean was still looking at her, gauging her reaction; like he always did.

"I'm sorry to hear that," he said suddenly, making her look at him, peering at him more like it.

"Really?" she asked, unable to stop herself.

"Well, of course. Death's mostly a nasty thing," he shrugged. "Also, I am not blind, like I've said. It's obvious it's still… 'bothering' you," he said, making the quotation with his free hand. "How long has it been?"

The woman was downright watching him now in a suspicious manner. Either he was fishing for information or just generally curious. Most likely the former. She hadn't spoken to many about her past, less so about her parents. Raul was about the only one and she usually felt a strong dislike discussing it with most other people she knew.

The dislike wasn't there this time.

"Father died already when I was fifteen," she explained, keeping her eye around them as well. So far she hadn't been able to spot anything strange, like Legion or even any wildlife. Granted, they were still among the cliffs, so her view was limited.

"Five years after that, mother died."

"So you were twenty when you were… thrown to the wolves, I take it?" Dean asked.

"Yep."

"And you're what… how old now?"

Ash arched an eyebrow at him.

"26," she replied slowly, still looking at him. He just nodded, making her frown slightly.

"Why?" she asked immediately.

"Oh, just wondering. Your… maturity level and all," he shrugged. "Also, it's good to know just how experienced you might be."

"Quite," she said drily.

"Really now?"

"Are you challenging me?"

"Perish the thought. Again with the male bravado you seem to have."

"You could ask me anything about surviving in the Mojave and I could answer it. Also, _stop_ comparing me to a male!"

Dean flicked some ash off his cigar, with an amused smirk on his face.

"Relax," he said afterwards, sticking it to his mouth again, before brushing his hands off while walking. Ash grunted, wishing she could. Now that they were back out in the wilderness and not somewhat protected in a town, she had to keep some focus.

The day passed slowly and uneventfully, much to Ash's relief. The fewer problems, the better for her and her still healing leg… even if it was ridiculously boring. Well, less boring than usual. Dean was easier to chat with and she did enjoy that. He still came off as a major asshole sometimes, mostly aimed at her but there had been times where the conversation had actually been serious.

She was glad they had managed to find decent shelter for the night and at not having to stay out in a cave somewhere. It wasn't perfect though, as it was only a small building along the road, an old gas station actually with one or two radscorpions that had been easily dispatched.

Ash had just investigated the station's interior, finding nothing suspicious in it when she returned out to Dean who was watching the road.

"Only one exit?" he asked, as she nodded. He extended a hand to her, waving his fingers briefly.

"You bought mines, yes?" he asked.

"A few," she replied, as she turned her bag in front of her, before handing him one of the mines. He looked it over, tapping a finger to it before he basically shooed her back inside through the door. She complied with a small frown, before he knelt down to place the mine a bit outside of the door. When it had clicked into the right spot, she handed him another one and continued until all three mines were placed in a way that none could reach the door without being blown up.

Ash wanted to point out that if they did blow up, the door and wall would surely disappear with them. But she thought better of it, knowing well how large the radius of the explosives would be. Irking Dean by pointing out something obvious would just result in a very tense and annoying evening. And the building was large enough so if they slept on the far end of the room, they'd be fine.

She made an impressed nod instead as Dean stood up, before she retreated back into the building. He closed the door after them, dismayed about not finding a lock on it though.

"That should keep us safe a bit. No need to guard anyway," he said with some relief in his tone, as Ash went to the nearest table, placing her bag on it, before a radio on one of the wall shelves got her attention. Although her pip-boy could play music just fine, it wasn't as good as on an actual radio and much to her delight the thing kicked into action as soon as she started it.

"Beats old boring silence doesn't it?" she asked Dean amused as he sat down at the table, arching an eyebrow at her.

"It's not good music though," he said calmly.

"Of course it's good. It's the only music most of us have."

"Still, it's not _my_ music."

"Well, you won't sing for me so I have to make due, don't I?"

"Oh, I could sing for you, if I felt the need be. I haven't."

"Why not?"

Dean laughed, because Ash's tone had gone from cocky to downright pouty at the last two words.

"You're not that kind of woman, Ash," he said calmly afterwards.

"Oh? And what kind of woman am I, Dean?" she asked in the same tone, folding her arms across her chest. She ignored the fact he had used her name, which was extremely rare on its own.

"Not a pre-war one, that's for sure."

"Well, there's a reasonable explanation for that one. You're still not answering the question though," she huffed, as she sat down at the table too, pulling her bag towards her, though she could still see Dean from over it.

"Why is it so important to you?"

"It's not."

"You're the one who starts throwing tantrums because of it."

"I'm not!"

"Admit it, you want to know what I think of you," he chuckled, pulling up his glasses over his head; how he managed that without ears was another question. Ash glared at him over the bag.

"No," she said firmly, inwardly cursing herself for having fallen into this… situation. Mostly because she couldn't handle being confronted with these kind of things. The more she told herself she didn't want to know, the more she actually did.

Considering Dean's smug smile, she had just given him more fuel for buttons for him to push and annoy or embarrass her.

She got up from the chair, carrying two packages of food with her, as she went into the station's small kitchen, muttering something under her breath.

Once left alone, Dean's smile faded quickly, as he watched her leave. Damn woman was so easy to see through, that it was ridiculous. It was obvious she wanted his… approval, but why, he didn't know. He knew a bit more of her in general now but… he was still curious, which was unusual for him. He usually didn't give a damn about anyone, especially a… grunt like her. When he had spotted her back in the Tops, she had been a familiar, experienced fighter really; someone he could use.

Now?

Now he found himself missing her company, as annoying as she could be sometimes. After over 200 years of basically being alone, with no one to trust or really talk to, he appreciated her company.

Dean muttered something under his breath, putting his glasses on the table to rub the skin between his eyes without them being in the way.

Was it really so wrong to actually appreciate someone's company though? He had done it before but… it was so long ago. Question was if he could really return back to those habits.

A loud cuss from the kitchen woke him up from his thoughts, and he got up on his feet to head into the other room, spotting Ash stomping into the floor with her finger in her mouth. It took her a few moments to realize he was standing there and when she did she looked at him further before giving him another glare.

"I'm sorry I cussed," she said sarcastically, pulling the finger out to look at it. Dean glanced over to the stove, where there was a pot of water boiling.

"Did you just manage to injure yourself again?" he rolled his eyes, folding his arms across his chest, as he leant towards the doorframe.

"Relax, this won't delay the trip," she said coolly, as she shook her hand a bit.

Dean huffed, as he moved forward, gesturing for her to go away from the stove. She did so with an arched eyebrow, returning to sucking on the side of her burned finger.

"With your luck you'll end up burning your face off soon," he shook his head as an explanation, as he found the packages of noodles she had probably planned as dinner.

He proceeded to prepare them effortlessly and Ash wasn't sure why she was a bit surprised. She couldn't really imagine Dean in a kitchen but she kept on forgetting he had to have survived those 200 years somehow. It was quite hard to imagine that he had that many more years of experience than her, just not in the Mojave.

As he worked, she just stood there in silent surprise, while tending to her red finger until he handed her one of the bowls.

"The infamous Dean Domino cooked me a meal…" she said slowly, as she took the bowl, giving him a doubtful look.

"Yes. Only happens once, so treasure it," he said drily, as he walked by her with his own bowl back out to the main room.

Ash chuckled.

"Yep, I will," she called back out to him, as she followed him. They ate in peace before Ash went off to the end of the room to look for something to sleep on. One of the smaller rooms, the storage room, she assumed, had old mattresses, so someone else before them had probably stayed nights here. She pulled them out to the floor between the shelves in the old store, putting some reasonable distance between them but not too far, since she didn't want to place anyone too close to the door.

Once that was done, she sat down on her mattress, throwing off her jacket on the floor next to her, before putting her arm over her knee to easier access the pip-boy and its map. She barely noticed that Dean approached her, glancing down at the pip-boy from his position before he crouched down next to her suddenly, grabbing her arm.

"Wait. Is this the map?" he asked quickly, as he looked at the small device's screen.

"Yeah?"

"Isn't this a very long detour to where we're going?"

"No. But we're not going anywhere near Sloan."

"Why not?"

"It's… dangerous."

"More dangerous than what we have already seen?"

"That road contains a lot of Deathclaws. A lot of them."

Dean gave her a look that she couldn't respond to because then she'd almost knock her head into his. Actually now that she thought about it, he was crouching pretty damn close to her, close enough for her to smell the endless cigars he seemed to be smoking, along with the slightly different scent that ghouls had. Funnily enough, she… kind of liked the scent.

"Can't you just shoot them?" he asked tersely, as he put his finger on the screen. "Because this is a ridiculous detour, it's no wonder it takes over a week to reach our destination. Not counting your delaying it already."

"Have you seen a Deathclaw, Dean?" Ash asked, almost sweetly, still not looking at him. He frowned at her tone, not really liking it.

"No but…-" he started, as she suddenly turned her head around. He was forced to pull away a bit, as she looked sharply at him.

"Deathclaws are monsters. The worst kind you could ever imagine. Ghost people are children compared to them in viciousness and savagery," she almost snapped.

Dean's frown only got deeper at this. Not because of her words; although he had a hard time seeing something as worse than Ghost people. But her tone revealed something else, a tone he had only heard her carry once before. And that was when she had mentioned the man who had almost killed her, namely Benny.

"You speak from experience," he stated. Ash looked back at the pip-boy, glaring at it almost.

"I do," she said, as she pushed her hair away from the right side of her neck, revealing the red claw mark that went along the whole side of that neck. The trace of it indicated that the injury hadn't been a small one and the fact she had survived it was surprising. He had very nearly reached out to touch it, but he ended up rubbing his neck instead, awkwardly.

"I see," he finally said. "Well, I guess that explains your reluctance to go anywhere near them."

She merely nodded, before she turned off the map on the pip-boy. The discussion had made her uneasy and angry, visibly so, and Dean, being smooth if he had to be, knew to not press on the subject. But he was intrigued now. One didn't get a scar like that, and survived it without a good story to tell or good reason. Unless she had simply been stupid enough to wander right into a Deathclaw nest, which he doubted.

Ash looked up briefly as Dean stood up suddenly, moving off to his own mattress to lie down on it with something huddled under his head. It wasn't until awhile later that she was going to lie down that she noticed what he had under his head. Her jacket, using it as a pillow.

The woman glared at him, but he wouldn't notice since he had closed his eyes, his hands wresting comfortable on his chest.

"Stupid ghoul," she huffed under her breath.

"Excuse me?"

"Goodnight."


	11. I got a plan

_There were no Ghost people this time. It wasn't even the Sierra Madre. This place was more… home. A desert. The Mojave.__ With one difference. Everything was distorted; the rocks and cliffs nothing but__ fuzzy__ images, like a poorly painted picture. The only thing that looked clear enough was the small, collapsed building, surrounded by the cliffs._

_Ash was standing among the rubble; sniffing the air casually as __if __a faint scent of death surrounded the place. She should have recognized it sooner, the very cause to her new road in the Mojave. Born out of death and one single creature. She clutched the necklace she wore, the chain carrying two dog tags and a large, broken of tooth from a predator of some sort._

_It was as if her memories were slowly returning to her, the place growing more and more dark, literally even. So she forced herself to move, finding her legs not obeying quite as well as she'd like. _

_That's when she heard the roar from behind her,__ followed __by wooden planks and debris being thrown to the side or crushed. A glance over her shoulder told her that a Deathclaw was the cause of it, a nasty looking one with near black skin and broken horns. One of its teeth was missing, making it look even more disturbing, as it opened its mouth, roaring at her. _

_Ash realized she was unarmed and fear was gripping her anyway so she had no option but to try and run, but she couldn't. Her legs wouldn't move, dammit! The Deathclaws's legs were working just fine as it was basically already on top of her. Its claws __s__lashed down next to her, before the next attack threw her off to the side and __made __her land on a few planks that broke apart under her. _

_Stunned and terrified by her lost ability to run, she could only watch in horror as the beast attacked again, one of its claws straying to cut at her neck, just above her shoulder. The attacks continued, some of them missing for some reason, others hitting true across her stomach and legs until her sight blurred and went into darkness, but the terror still followed, like a brutal shadow even into death._

Dean was startled awake at the near scream coming from Ash when she sat up, just as startled as he looked really. The only difference was that she was way paler and checking over herself, urgently.

"What the blasted devils are you doing, woman?" Dean exclaimed, as he rubbed the side of his head with a slight grimace. Ash gave him a glance, her chest still heaving from what felt like a hundred miles' long run. She fell back on the mattress once she realized it had only been another dream. Although she preferred Ghost people compared to Death Claws.

Ash moved her hand to her forehead with a sigh, before she heard Dean stand up. When she opened her eyes she could see him look down at her next to the mattress.

"Let me guess. Another dream?" he asked.

"You could say that," she sighed, without moving her hand.

"Ghost people?"

Ash got up on her feet, shaking her head.

"We should get moving," she said, as she stepped into the kitchen to make some kind of food to them. She had no idea what to make, but anything would work. Right now she just wanted to get away from Dean's questions.

The ghoul looked after her before he leant down to grab her jacket that he had used as a pillow, before tossing it onto her mattress, right next to her bag. The girl was clearly disconcerted about whatever she had dreamt about. Much like the last time. Clearly, she was easily effected by… bad memories, not the best thing, to be honest.

His thoughts were quickly interrupted by a very loud explosion just outside the door, causing him to lift his arm to protect his head, as the explosion tore up the entire door and wall. Pieces of wood and dust flew all over the place, as Ash rushed out towards Dean at the noise. She quickly reached for the pistol she had left by her bag, before moving towards the remains of the wall, now that the dust had settled.

"Get down," she ordered Dean who had pulled out his pistol as well, though he gave the woman a look at the 'order'. He reluctantly moved to the other side of the crashed wall, finding some decent cover there. Ash was already secure behind a few wooden planks on the other side, fully concentrated on what was happening. Dean had to admit that going from downright nervous about a dream to near 100% focus in such short notice was quite impressive.

Granted this wasn't the time to be impressed. Least of all by a woman.

Dean's well-placed mines had certainly been useful as proven by the two corpses lying outside the building. Considering their clothes, they had definitely been raiders and so there was no need to feel particularly guilty about their deaths. Ash had since long become immune to killing bastards like them.

"Well, looks like the mines took care of them," Dean said casually, as he peered over the wooden planks and towards what remained of the intruders.

"Them, yes," Ash said. "Not their friends," she added quickly, gesturing with her head towards further off, where six men were standing, pointing towards the building they were hiding in. Too many for her to deal with.

"We need to leave but… they'll shoot us on sight if we run out now," she muttered dismally, as she hurried back to her bag, taking it, the jacket and the weapons with her, keeping low to avoid being seen. Dean remained in his spot, watching the approaching raiders with a frown.

He barely caught the grenade that Ash tossed to him suddenly and he gave it a look before looking at her.

"You're better with explosives than I am," she shrugged. She didn't really like mines and grenades; they were handy but they made her nervous too. Dean merely smirked, before he pulled the pin out of the grenade and then throwing it somewhat in front the raiders. By the time they realized what it was and could start backing off; the explosion went off, creating a large cloud of smoke between them as well as making the raiders confused.

"Go!" Ash whispered urgently, as she dashed past the corner of the house, Dean following surprisingly quickly. Unfortunately she hadn't been able to plan their route beyond that, so she just kept on running past the next corner of the building, and up among the cliffs there.

"Get after the shitheads!" someone called behind them, making her wince, as she had hoped the raiders wouldn't bother following them.

"So… any actual plans?" Dean asked her drily, as he looked over his shoulder while trying to keep up with her.

"Didn't we agree back in the Sierra Madre that you were the brains and I'm the brawns?" Ash muttered.

"_I'm_ the one who hired _you_!"

"Alright. I got a plan. I think. We'll hide."

Dean gave her a skeptical look, when she suddenly yanked at him to rush off somewhere to the side. Well, she had no idea where to hide either, but the raiders were among the cliffs as well now so they couldn't just stand around.

"Shit, shit, shit," she muttered under her breath, running so fast around the corner of a cliff side that she slipped on some pebbles below it. It triggered the rest of the loose ground below them to fall apart, before both tumbled down the slope. Dean landed back first into the ground below, luckily the fall hadn't been that bad. He had just turned to his side to spot Ash come rolling down towards him, before she collided with him, throwing him on his back again, with her elbow in his chest.

"Sorry…" she muttered, as he turned to the other side, clutching his chest and wheezing as if she had knocked all the air out of him. He couldn't even muster up a complaint; only give her a halfhearted glare over his shoulder.

"There they are!" a voice came from above suddenly, startling Ash to a sitting position before she pushed Dean to his feet, as well as herself.

"Blast it, I'm not used to running from enemies," he scoffed, as they managed to get behind another rock for now, catching their breath. After all, he had usually avoided them altogether.

"You got a better idea?" Ash frowned at him, as she pulled out the hunting rifle, shooting once around the corner of the rock, without really aiming, just to distract their followers. Dean grumbled something, still rubbing his aching chest.

He barely got the time to do that though, as Ash continued to run, forcing him to follow. The good thing with all the cliffs around them was that hideouts and shelter were abundant, so was just a matter of finding one that wasn't too obvious or in sight.

"There! It's a cave," Ash said quickly, as she pointed ahead, before darting right into the damp, dark cave opening. Normally she'd check it for any wildlife, but it didn't occur to her now. Getting away from the raiders did.

"Isn't this a bit of a setback? Getting us trapped?" Dean asked. She could only see his silhouette behind her since the light from the opening behind them shadowed him perfectly, but he was rubbing his shoulder now as if bothered by it.

She didn't get a chance to reply, as she heard _and _felt a grunt literally in her face once she turned to look ahead of them. A scaly reptile head was barely visible in the darkness, the yellow eyes more telling than anything else on it would have been.

Before she could utter something, most likely a scream because seeing the object of her dreams and fears this close wasn't something she had expected here, Dean's hand closed over her mouth suddenly; his other arm landing around her waist. He didn't know why he did it, he didn't know anything about the large creature standing in front of them, but Ash's sudden inhaling and tension warned him that she was going to do something that'd most likely attract attention.

The raiders appeared in the cave opening suddenly, their noisy footsteps and drawn guns calling the attention of the creature as it turned to look at them instead, growling deeper. Ash stared at it, only Dean's grip stopping her urge to run or scream, whichever came first.

"Shit, it's a Deathclaw!" a raider screamed suddenly, as he backed out into the sunlight, shooting after the beast as he acted on bare instinct. The result was a loud roar, as the Deathclaw charged out after them, stretching out its long arms and claws. Once it was outside, Dean removed his hand from Ash's mouth, looking after the creature in surprise. In daylight, it looked even worse, with brown, dry scales covering its body and the horns protruding on its head… sort of like an earthly devil.

Muttering something under his breath, he changed his grip to Ash's arm, pulling her outside, since the girl seemed too stunned to really get going herself. Deathclaws apparently had a stronger impact on her than he first had thought. She was nothing like herself, which was a bit… disturbing.

The raiders were still running from the monster chasing them. A few straying gunshots from them wouldn't kill the creature, but if they were lucky they would be able to escape it somehow. It was doubtful though since the Deathclaw was a bit faster than they were. Dean didn't waste time wondering either thing though, as he and Ash walked in another direction, back up among the cliffs.

During the walk, Ash lifted her hands to her head, groaning quietly, barely noting that Dean had his arm over her shoulder, something he didn't necessarily had to do. Even when he noticed she was coming to, he didn't remove his arm. She paused suddenly, shutting her eyes briefly before opening them again, taking a deep breath.

"I wasn't expecting that," she admitted.

"What? The Deathclaw or your embarrassing reaction?" Dean said drily.

"The Deathclaw," she replied, either nor caring or hearing his indirect insult. "They're not normally in these areas, never heard of it before."

"Maybe they travel…" the ghoul shrugged, as she gave him a slow look. "What? Do you find types like me out here in the Mojave normally?" he insisted. She managed a faint smirk at that.

"You're not a ravaging monster, Dean."

"Nooo, but ravaging can be fun sometimes…"

Ash arched an eyebrow now as the ghoul managed an awkward look, once he realized what he had said.

"Never mind," he said afterwards, looking ahead instead now. "At least you're back to your senses, good."

"How come you… did what you did?" she asked, making him even more awkward, which resulted again in him tensing a bit, like he had before when pressured.

"What? Shut you up? I didn't know that was a Deathclaw but I reckon something that big wouldn't appreciate you howling at it," he shrugged.

"Probably not," she admitted, as she placed her hand on his as he held it over her shoulder. She gave him a smirk, as his eyes darted in that direction, before he removed his arm, looking grumpy now. She had clearly been aware of his arm the whole time and if he hadn't cared at least a little about her reaction to the Deathclaw, he hadn't bothered keeping it there in the first place. So much for keeping that embarrassing… _concern_ hidden.

Ash didn't want to hear him admitting to anything like concern, the fact he had indirectly showed it now made her smile amused to herself.

"So what do you think happened to the raiders?" Dean asked, mostly to get that blasted smile off her face.

"Honestly don't care. I hope they got eaten though. Deathclaws are… very persistent when they attack something," Ash shrugged. "I'm still surprised it didn't attack us at once… we probably startled it."

She paused briefly to check on the pip-boy, pulling up the map on it. Dean noticed how her hands were still shaking a bit, as she stretched her fingers now and then in order to control the pip-boy properly, before she gave a small point with her finger to the side.

"Our road's up there," she explained out loud, before frowning in general at the numbers the device was showing. A few more clicks and whirs gave her an answer she didn't much like.

"Damn," the woman muttered once they had started to walk again. "The temperature is lower today than it has been for a long time… never saw the difference until now."

"Lower?" Dean snorted. "Feels the same to me."

"The difference can hardly be felt. Now anyway. Decreasing temperatures in the Mojave is a bad sign, Dean. And now that I think about it, there might be a thunderstorm approaching. Lower degrees are just the first sign. When the air gets… clearer… now that's bad. And it could be at any day now."

"So we find a shelter when it starts to rain?"

"Erhm. Okay, thunderstorm is the… nice description. Try monsoon," Ash said, rubbing the back of her neck awkwardly. The ghoul gave her a dismayed look.

"That usually means floods. Are you saying we might get even more delayed?" he asked slowly.

"There's a small chance of it, yes."

"Chance is something good, this is very bad," he grunted annoyed, as she waved dismissively.

"What do you want me to do, Dean? Tell the weather to fuck off?"

"Don't make me shovel soap down your throat."

"Excuse me?"

"Your constant… cussing. I told you, it grates on my ears."

"… Yes, but what the hell does that have to do with soap?"

"Did that expression die out after the Bomb? Washing your mouth with soap is a… 'treatment' or 'threat' you give someone who has a foul way of speaking."

"That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard," Ash laughed, though she stopped quickly, as it almost echoed between the cliffs. They managed to find the road now, the old gas station they had stayed the night in, barely visible somewhere behind them.

"Perhaps. But I bet it works," Dean said coolly.

"Yeah? Want to try it?"

"Don't be daft."

"Coward."

Dean gave her a quick glare.

"I am not a coward, but we sadly lack said soap at the moment. Else I'd gladly rub your face in it," he continued, somewhat peeved. Ash was holding back laughter.

"Stop that," he frowned.

"I'm sorry, I can't help it. You're so cute when you threaten me," the woman giggled, clearly suffering from some funny side effect of her former adrenaline rush. At least that was what Dean was thinking.

"Funny, that was not what you thought when we met in New Vegas," he noted casually, though he was still growing more peeved at the realization he was starting to lose her respect.

"Threatening to rub someone's face in soap is very different from trying to blow them up, Dean," she said, looking more serious now. "You can't expect me to take you seriously after that."

She blinked, as he moved suddenly to face her, taking off his glasses to look at her properly. His eyes were narrowed just a tiny bit, but enough to tell her that she was pressing _his_ buttons for once.

"Perhaps I need to lob a grenade by your feet for you to take me seriously again," he said firmly. That dangerous undertone was there again, much to her hidden dismay. Dean didn't need to raise his voice to sound threatening. As much as her mind told her to take his words seriously, she couldn't help but want to press him further. A touch of curiosity to see if he'd actually do something.

"Maybe you should," she replied, her tone just as firm as his as she met his gaze. Dean's eyes narrowed further, recognizing a challenge when he got one. He didn't really want to injure the girl, as much as he hated to admit it, he was growing… fond of her _dumb witted_ company. He wasn't going to deny that anymore. But he didn't like losing the respect she had for him, that would indirectly affect his… control of her.

There was another, more innocent way to push aside her current attitude though, as long as he didn't give her ammunition to turn it around on him. However that method was risky, considering what he was. Dean wasn't stupid; he knew ghouls were shunned for their looks. Granted, he had his fame to rely on but fame didn't mean respect or attraction. Only a few select people would stagger at a ghoul throwing innuendos at them. Ash was one of them, since she had openly admitted to him before to prefer the company of ghouls.

"Maybe I should, indeed," he said suddenly, as he took a step forward, forcing her to take one backwards which led her back first into a cliff side. He planted his hands on the rock, next to each side of her head, an unusually aggressive move from his side, which was enough to throw Ash off her carefully calculated 'plan'. She didn't recognize this at all.

"Do you thrive on provoking dangerous actions out of men?" he asked suddenly. Ash looked at him, utterly taken back by what was a simple question really.

"… What?" she finally asked, her eyes darting to the sides briefly, before casually looking back at him. She wasn't sure what to think of this sudden… proximity of his.

"You heard me."

"Well… no," she started, not even sure what to say. It didn't matter though, because Dean continued quickly.

"Because that is what you're going to get if you keep on pressing the matter. Don't believe I'd set a bomb for you somewhere? Fine but believe this, I got other ways to prove dangerous to you. I wouldn't recommend triggering them. _Any_ of them."

With that he walked off from her, leaving Ash blinking in confusion.

"Hey! Come back here and explain that!" she called after him, but he ignored her, lighting a cigar as he walked down the road. She frowned at that, before walking after, almost in a sulking manner.

Dangerous her ass, Dean wouldn't lift a finger against her. So she couldn't figure out what else he meant. Threaten her with… assassins? Paperwork? Influences? She worked for Mr. House; she already had the biggest influence you could have in New Vegas.

That was, until her mind carried away so much that other ideas decided to pop into her head. There was indeed other ways for a man to be dangerous.

"Agh!" Ash almost exclaimed suddenly as she realized what she was thinking off, which was very awkward and… _intriguing._ The fact he was a ghoul didn't occur to her at all; she had since long learned to look past that with any ghoul really. Although she had never really noticed herself being attracted to one.

Not that she was attracted to a ghoul, any ghoul.

At least so she thought.

_God damn that man so much. _

* * *

><p><strong>Sorry for the delay, I had some RL problems, as well as got a puppy last week and he's taking up a lot of my time, the little precious thing. But I should be back on the track of writing soon enough again!<strong>_  
><em>


	12. Prospecting

**This chapter is shorter than normal but it just kept on fighting me and I figured I might as well post it. Not one of my best chapters.**

**I already got a good plan for the next one though and I can assure it'll be better. It'll be faster done too. :)**

**Thank you for reading.  
><strong>

* * *

><p>Ash was more or less quiet after the... 'threat', but she didn't really see the point of talking at the moment. She wasn't scared of Dean, far from it, just wary and puzzled at the moment. He wore a smug look in his face, so he probably assumed she <em>was<em> in fact scared of him. Oh, he'd certainly wish that.

She had a bit more important things to think about though, considering that the weather could take a turn for the worse any day now. And they weren't exactly near any place that'd be able to support them with a good shelter for rain. Mojave storms were dangerous, so sitting in a cave wasn't exactly a good option.

So part of her silence came from her checking the pip-boy, trying to see if the air got warmer or colder, but so far it wasn't moving at all. But the fact it wasn't getting any warmer either was a bad sign.

The woman glanced at Dean briefly, who had taken off his glasses again, inspecting them for damage it seemed. His jacket was more or less worn out by now; the elbows and one of the shoulders on it were to the point of becoming actual holes.

"Looks like you'll need new clothes soon," she said coolly, looking back at the pip-boy now.

"Hmph. And where do you suggest finding something like this out here?" the ghoul replied tersely, gesturing over himself. "My clothes lasted well enough before the Mojave."

"The Mojave's a little less forgiving than the Sierra Madre when it comes to clothes, I guess. Anyway, our next stop will probably be Nipton. Last time I was there it was… attacked by the Legion and everyone was pretty much killed. So it should be empty. Might smell a bit though…"

"…Wonderful. What makes you think the cross-dressers won't be there still?"

"They hated the town. They just attacked it to… make an example to the NCR. I told an NCR outpost what happened but I don't know if they decided to clean it up. But the main thing is that the buildings should still be there. And we'll need them if it starts to rain. Also, maybe they'll have a tuxedo in the main building."

"I strongly doubt that, class doesn't exist out here, we have seen that much."

"Only you," Ash smirked amused, as Dean gave her a suspicious look at the 'flattering'.

"You're right in that," he confirmed after a moment, brushing off something from his chest but whether it was actual dirt or just pride, she couldn't tell. Probably both.

Ash merely shook her head with a smirk, focusing on the road ahead of them.

* * *

><p>By the time evening arrived, the darkness already closing around them, they had managed to reach the town Nipton. The darkness wasn't in their favor though, as it was impossible to tell if the place had inhabitants or not yet. The only thing that spoke against anyone living there was the lack of light actually. Still, Ash wasn't about to run them into an ambush or something similar.<p>

She and Dean were standing, or kneeling outside the town, by a few rocks. Dean had his arms folded around him, waiting with a grumpy look on his face, as Ash was peering over the rock's edge. She had been doing that for the last ten minutes now and then ghoul's patience was wearing thin.

"Why are we still out here? I understand the concept of caution, but this is ridiculous, " Dean huffed, as he turned around to peer over the rock as well, his glasses tilted over his forehead, since they didn't improve his vision now that it was dark.

"Do you want us to run head-first into trouble? I haven't been here in a very long time, who knows what has moved in. Just because it looks empty doesn't mean it is. There are things out there that don't need light to thrive," Ash muttered. She knew Dean had a point, it was getting cold after all and she knew most old ghouls wouldn't appreciate the cold, with their… bone problems and all.

"Alright, there should be a lamp or something by the nearest house. I refuse to enter a building without seeing where I'm going," she huffed, as she got up on her feet, Dean following. The moonlight was kind enough to provide with a tiny amount of light, just enough to actually see any buildings. After some feeling along the wall, she finally stumbled upon an old oil lamp attached to a doorframe.

The clinkering noise as she fumbled with opening it was… more or less welcome, but it was difficult to tell in the dark. Dean helped her eventually, out of impatience most likely, as he used his lighter to light up the lamp, providing them with much needed light.

The first thing that met them was a human skeleton on the ground in front of Ash's feet, making her whistle very quietly.

"I guess none has cleaned up here," she said airily to Dean who rolled his eyes, obviously less amused. They stepped over the corpse, before walking by very old, burnt tires and debris. Sand and dirt had conquered a lot of the streets, giving it a very abandoned look so Ash dared to relax a little but not entirely.

She didn't stop really until they reached Nipton's… town hall, the largest building there was. The poles that had been put up outside the entrance had been toppled over, and the old Legion flags torn to pieces, only some of the cloth being shown under the sand.

"Seems like a few NCR has been here, just to remove most of the signs of Legion, but none bothered to clean up the town," Ash said thoughtfully, as she pushed open the door. There was no stench as she would have expected and the hallway had no corpses. When she had been there last, she had been forced to kill off several dogs at least and there had been the recently dead victims of the Legion too.

One of the corners did have the old remains of a dog skeleton, one of its hollow legs shattered to pieces and with signs of chewing marks on them. Of course. Corpses would attract wildlife eventually. Most likely all the corpses had been eaten quickly after she had left.

That only created another question though, how the wildlife had entered the building, since the main door had been shut. Probably a broken window, or a hole somewhere, she reasoned. Maybe not the safest building then but it'd shelter them from the wind and possible rain. The cold was another matter though.

Since she could remember the place somewhat well still, she headed further inside the corridor, stopping by a metal box on the wall that she opened. A few loose wires fell out as she did so, revealing the power box to be broken.

"Damn. I wish Raul was here, he would have it fixed in a moment," Ash huffed, as she inspected the wires but her skill in repairing things were quite low. Dean arched an eyebrow in her direction, as he gave the box a look but didn't do more than so; obviously he didn't have the skill either.

"You've mentioned this… Raul a few times now on this trip," he pointed out.

"I have? Sorry, I'm just… used to him being around," Ash admitted thoughtfully. Her thoughts wandered back briefly to the fact that her other companions usually… contributed with something but she waved it off, finding that kind of musing unfair to Dean.

"He's a very good repairman, as well as a shooter," she continued, smiling fondly, as she tucked the wires back into the box, shutting it. She couldn't fix it so there was no point in trying. They would simply need to do without the power.

Dean's frown only grew further as he watched her walk past him and into a room to the side, the common room in the building it seemed. It had a few comfortable chairs in it, a table as well as a stove in it, much to Ash's delight. She ran over to it instantly, checking it for wood fuel. There was some, but they'd need more over the night eventually. Luckily there was a lot of wooden debris around them.

"You seem mighty fond of this man. Just how did you come across him then?" Dean asked, as he sat down in one of the armchairs, pulling out a cigarette. Ash glanced over her shoulder briefly; his tone was near venomous. He gave her a look back, before he tossed her his lighter so she could start a fire in the stove.

"He was captured by a group of super mutants," Ash explained, as she used a piece of paper to put some fire to the wood inside the stove. "Forced to repair things for them. They kept on threatening him in their radio transmissions so… I went there and freed him."

"Heh. Sounds like something you'd do. Risking your life for a stranger. Explosive collars or not."

"He was basically a slave. I don't like slavers."

"So you killed a camp of super mutants all on your own? I've heard they're pretty tough."

"Not quite, I had a robot with me. But we snuck past most of them, those we couldn't, we killed, yes. But their leader? I helped him… or her, I think, so Raul was free to go."

"Oh really? That's almost a bit deceitful by you. Helping someone and using their gratitude to take advantage of," Dean smirked amused.

"That's a very… far sighted way to look at it, Domino," Ash frowned at him. The ghoul fixed his eyes on her at the use of his last name, but his smirk only widened. "Either way, I decided to help Raul to a safer place because he wasn't too thrilled with heading back out in the Mojave alone. And then we just… kind of stayed together," she continued with a shrug. "He's got quite an interesting past, but then he's just as old as you are. That's why I think you got a lot in common."

Dean laughed once.

"Please? By your description, he sounds like a peasant… There's little I could have in common with him." Ash merely shrugged.

"Perhaps not," she said, as she stared wistfully at the stove.

"He obviously means a lot to you though," Dean continued, unable to really drop that subject. Ash could swear his tone sounded a bit venomous again, as if the notion bothered him.

"He does. He's like a brother to me. I've never had one but I can imagine it'd be like the relationship we have," she smiled faintly. "Probably why I miss him."

"Just a brother?" Dean asked before he could really stop himself. Ash gave him a look.

"Of course. He's sweet but he's not my type," she shrugged. The suggestion to see a ghoul as a boyfriend or more obviously wasn't what had given him the look. The fact to see Raul as that was… strange, too strange for her.

"Uh… why?" she asked afterwards, giving Dean a smirk. If she didn't know him better she'd say he was jealous.

"Just making sure you're not distracted by some far off boyfriend," Dean huffed coolly. "Siblings may be… nice, but missing them isn't as bad as missing a 'loved' one." He wanted to change the subject now, before she realized he had actually been annoyed with not knowing what this Raul meant to her. Now that he had gotten a satisfactory answer, he wasn't even sure why he had been annoyed. Nor did he have any interest in thinking about it further.

"Relax, what has happened during the trip so far hasn't been because I've missed someone," Ash snorted. "It's been mere mistakes. They happen. And we're still alive despite them."

She looked up briefly as a dull boom was heard in the distance. Her expression became slightly uneasy, even though she recognized the sound of thunder. Shortly after it, the rattling noise of rain hitting the roof was heard as well. At least she had been right in them needing shelter soon.

"Looks like it has started," she commented, as Dean was looking somewhere to the side, though he seemed to be listening intently. There were several dull booms in a row, sounding almost like explosions.

"Does it sound like the bombs falling?" Ash asked him, making him look at her.

"You think I'm pondering old memories?" he asked her drily, already getting defensive. She simply shook her head.

"No. I'm just curious," she said calmly, as she looked up towards the roof.

Dean looked at her, like one might watch a naïve child.

"It does," he replied after a while, putting out the cigar on the chair's arm. "Well, I only heard one or two, none struck too close to the Sierra Madre. But close enough to… alter things. But if you for some reason want to imagine the day the world basically went under, thunder claps are the closest you'll get to it for sure."

"I don't think I want to," Ash admitted with an almost sad look. "Pre-war things are interesting and I do wonder how it was before the war but… I can't imagine the chaos that must have been everywhere the day the war ended."

"I am sure it was worse than in the Sierra Madre and things were pretty chaotic there, if I recall right. Either way, it's a boring subject."

"Depressing, I'd say," Ash smirked amused, before she checked the meal again. It was done by now, so she poured it up in two bowls, handing one to him, before she sat down in the other armchair.

"Best just try and ignore the weather for now and get some sleep. We'll probably need it tomorrow," she sighed. If the rain even allowed them to move on the next day, that was.

* * *

><p>Her suspicions proved to be right. A grim discovery met her in the morning, as she had ventured to the main door, opening it to realize the rain was falling hard still. The rattling on the roof had been proof enough but she hadn't expected it to be this bad.<p>

Dean approached her from behind, already frowning at the rain, until lightning seemed to split the sky open right above them, the near instant thunderclap startling Ash so she took a step backwards right on Dean's toes.

"Oh, sorry! Didn't know you were there," she said quickly, as the ghoul lifted his upper lip, or what remained of it rather, in an expression of pain.

"It was enough you probably crushed my toes when we danced…" he muttered afterwards, before paying more attention to the weather outside. "Too harsh to venture out in?" he asked, as she arched an eyebrow at him.

"Would _you_ willingly want to walk in this?" she asked, gesturing with her hand to the heavy rain. The sand outside had started to pour away from the debris and cloth it had covered, revealing more of the obviously abandoned town. Old skeletons and other things littered the street ahead of them, things that hadn't been visible under the sand. Wherever there wasn't sand, there were pools of water instead.

Dean smacked his tongue in displeasure, before shaking his head. "Not really," he admitted. "So this is going to be another of those slow days, I take it?"

"Probably. I am going to head out in the other buildings here though, check for some supplies and such. Think I'll put some empty bottles on the ground too so we have some water," Ash said thoughtfully.

"Clever. Unless the rain's irradiated."

"Nah, they say the rain here is pretty clean. You can probably go look for some new clothes if you need to?" she suggested. "I think this building is pretty safe."

"I _can_ look out after myself, you know. How else do you think I survived 200 years on my own?" Dean scoffed. Ash merely shrugged.

"You hired me for a reason, remember?" she smirked.

"Trust me, I know very well how to… _scavenge_," Dean glared at her, noting her amusement and not really liking it.

"Out here they call scavenging _prospecting_, Dean. It does sound better, after all."

"Oh, and here I was afraid you wouldn't understand such a fancy word."

Ash looked at him, somewhat unimpressed, at his attempt to make her look silly instead of him.

"Go and do your prospecting, Dean."


	13. Gentleman

**I was supposed to wait with posting this chapter so I could make the wait time a bit more even but... gah, I couldn't stop myself. I'm itching to see what you guys think of this one. It's maybe a bit... _weird_ in some places, but we're all allowed to do that from time to time.**

* * *

><p>Searching some old buildings didn't take very long. Filling the two empty bottles she placed under the rain would take longer actually… and was way more boring. She figured she hadn't been gone for more than an hour or so, when she came back into the building they were currently staying in. As expected Dean was already in the room, since exploring the old rooms above couldn't have taken long.<p>

"Well, that was a useless trip out in the other buildings," Ash declared as she dropped off a few small boxes on the floor next to her armchair. She'd have to go through them later during the day, as she pulled off her outer, longer jacket, hanging it over the armchair. There was something black hanging over the back from Dean's chair too and she lifted it up curiously before he could react. He got up on his feet now, giving her a small frown.

"You're just curiosity in a box, aren't you?" he asked her drily, folding his arms across his chest. He wore his usual white shirt now, but what made her surprised was the black trench coat she was holding in her hands. It was old and weathered, but certainly whole, compared to his old jacket.

"You're going to be wearing this?" she asked, as he snatched the coat from her hands.

"It was either this or a jacket that seemed to be made out of cow hide. I won't even start giving my reasons as to why I shouldn't wear cow hide."

He pulled the jacket on, straightening out the collar of it as Ash arched an eyebrow at him. It reached all the way to his ankles and with the white shirt it did give a rather… classy impression. Almost intimidating even, to the point that she was staring.

"Not something I'd normally wear, but it looks good, doesn't it?" Dean asked, as he realized she was staring at him. "Apparently," he smirked afterwards as she huffed loudly.

"Yes, it looks good. Not very… you, but it suits you. Will be odd seeing you without your other jacket though," she said quickly enough, looking back at the boxes on the floor.

"Yes, indeed. But even I pull my limits of how long I wear the same clothes… back in the Sierra Madre there was a lot of clothes to pick out. But they also wore out slower there," the ghoul shrugged. "Hm… could need gloves too someday. With all the blasted sand out there."

Ash shook her head, finding his words amusing to hear. She was glad he was talking more to her in general without being dry or stupid about it. Question was how long it'd last.

She spent the rest of that day, going through the boxes and her bag, sorting out what they needed and what they didn't. Dean didn't do much else, at least in her eyes. He helped her when he saw fit, but otherwise he kept quiet or did what she assumed was… singer exercises without the actual singing. She honestly didn't know, but whatever worked for him. All in all, it was a slow day, even by her standards. And the rain didn't show any signs of stopping.

* * *

><p>Despite the slow day, sleep was easy to find in the evening. It didn't last long though, as a loud bang woke up Ash in the middle of the night. At least she assumed it was in the middle of the night, it was still dark and cold. Even the stove had burned out by now and she sighed as she got up on her feet to grab the oil-lamp on the floor. Dean had left his lighter next to it, so it was easy to light it up again.<p>

The faint motion from Dean's chair, told her that he was awake as well, either from the noise or the light spreading from the lamp. Ash moved about a little, reaching for an oil- lamp in the window frame in the room, putting the lighter to it as well, before putting it on the floor so Dean would have some light.

"I'll check it out. And get more wood," she explained a little drowsily as she yawned, before leaving the room. Dean gave her an almost lazy look before he settled back into the chair, muttering something about the blasted cold.

Ash had barely made it into the corridor when she heard the banging noise again so she lifted the lamp higher in the air in front of her to get a better view of the place. The rattling against the roof was louder than before, so the rain was falling heavy now, which concerned her a bit. At this rate there'd definitely be a lot of water in any of the low areas, so traveling could be difficult since the area surrounding Nipton was mostly low ground.

She woke up from her musings by the banging being heard again, this time though she could at least tell from which room it came from. One of the far end rooms in the building, an old office by the first look of it as she paused in the doorway of it. The noise was different this time, like someone was tapping metal under the floor.

Despite ghosts and super natural things rarely being mentioned in this world, Ash couldn't help but feel a bit creeped out by the noise. It was almost eerie, with a strange echoing to it. Most of the room was covered in darkness so she had to walk further inside it to actually see the far end. Another noise emanated from the floor now, as the floorboards creaked ominously.

Before she could react, her right foot suddenly crashed through the planks, resulting in the floor around it to collapse. In the fall, she already instinctually prepared for the impact with another floor but it didn't happen. Instead she landed in water, sinking down to the bottom while she recovered. The water was cold and dark, since she had dropped the lamp on the floor above.

Using the bottom, she pushed up with her feet to the surface, gasping for air, while trying to stay floating and get a good look around. The bottom and walls seemed to be made out of stone or some other hardy material which could explain why the place was flooded. It was probably old rain water mixed with the new one now that she was swimming in. Wooden and metal beams spread on the bottom and the edges, explained the strange sound at least.

The panic didn't start to creep in until she realized there was no way back up to the office. She could see the hole, but just barely in the lack of light and it was too far up for her to reach. Ash dove back into the water, looking for an exit, realizing to her horror that the basement room's only door was a collapsed one, made of both wood and stone debris. Enough to let in water but certainly not enough to let anyone out.

She reappeared at the surface again, trying to reach for the wooden planks above her, ending up swallowing water in the process. Her clothes were getting heavy fast, and the cold water wasn't helping her either.

The growl somewhere above her made her stop splashing around as she tried to listen the best she could. A creature, she couldn't tell what from this distance, was peering down at her from the hole, the growling continuing. A few more seconds and two more heads popped over the edge, their eyes reflecting slightly from the oil lamp's light.

Ash dipped under the surface for a moment, already exhausted, and although screaming would probably provoke the creatures above, it could possibly get someone else's attention as well. As soon as she had called for help once as well as Dean's name, the growls above her grew louder, before they turned into a yapping noise. One of the creatures scurried along the hole's edge, revealing itself as a thin, probably starved coyote.

Before Ash knew it, the animal suddenly jumped right down at her, so desperate for food that it'd take the risk of drowning. Normally she could have easily fought off a starved, small animal like that, but this wasn't a normal circumstance. The impact with it landing right on her head pushed her back into the water, where she couldn't move fast enough to stop it from biting down on her shoulder, its front paws planted in her face, clawing and yapping like crazy.

* * *

><p>Further away in the building, Dean looked up as he thought he had heard someone shouting. For a moment he was going to disregard it as his ears playing tricks on him, when he glanced over to the other armchair. He ran a hand over his face with a sigh, before he stood up, picking up the oil lamp from the floor. He was sure the shout came from Ash and it was probably because she had found another intriguing pre-war thing. But just to be safe, he might as well check it out… not because he was concerned, perish the thought.<p>

It didn't take him very long to hear strange sounds from further off in the corridor; he could even see the faint light of another lamp there. But what surprised him was the sound of… water splashing and yapping sounds.

"Ash?" he called out casually, as he reached for the pistol in his belt, pulling it out slowly as he headed towards the room. While still carrying the lamp in his other hand, his aim would be off with the pistol and it was easily noticeable as a coyote lunged for him as soon as he showed himself in the doorway.

The shot went somewhere in the floor, startling the animal as it landed on the ground, retreating for a moment, before it rushed back towards the ghoul who was still recovering. Another shot went off; hitting it somewhere on its front and it was enough to make it run off yelping into the shadows of the corridor.

As much as Dean hated turning his back to an enemy, animal or human, he moved into the room, spotting the hole in time thanks to the other lamp across the room. Dropping his own to the floor, he looked down the hole.

Ash looked back up at him, a scrape visible on her left face and a knife in her right hand. The body of a coyote floated next to her, with several stab wounds in its side. His arrival hadn't been more appreciated as she was sure she couldn't stay floating for much longer.

Dean muttered a curse under his breath once he saw her, looking frustrated for a moment too but it wasn't because of annoyance. Helping someone else was new to him and he knew he could easily be pulled in himself if he tried to pull her up this way. He looked up in the room, spotting something that could help, but it'd be far-fetched like hell.

"Hang on, I'm going to get you something to climb on," he told her, as he left her sights.

"No, Dean, wait!" she called after him, the panic seeping up again now that her only chance of survival disappeared on her, temporarily or not. Despite being halfway down in the water now with her head, she could hear him push something across the floor.

"Stay away from the hole," Dean called down to her, as he pushed a whole bloody desk down the hole, on its far end first. He wasn't sure where he had gotten the strength to do so himself actually. He gestured for her to come over as soon as the desk was down, so she could support herself on it before it'd tip or float over.

It was a matter of moments that she was on it with her upper body, giving him enough reach to grab her arms and pull her up over the hole, with the help of her pushing away from the table with her feet, before it finally toppled over in the water.

Now out of the water, Ash couldn't even sit up; only get up on her elbows for a moment, Dean kneeling next to her. A sudden growl in the shadows from the back of the room startled them both, when the third coyote charged out, literally biting hold of Dean's arm and hanging from it even as he got up on his feet.

"Dammit!" he muttered under his teeth as he swung around, throwing the animal down to the floor further off. As it got up again, teeth bared, Dean had already reached for the nearest pole-like object and as the coyote charged again, he literally smacked it out of the room and onto the opposite wall. The creature didn't get up after that and Dean dropped the object to the floor to pay attention to Ash again.

She had sat up at the new attack, ready to try and help Dean, even if she could barely stand at the moment, but it seemed he hadn't needed her help.

"Honestly, ten minutes and… this?" Dean huffed, as he grabbed his injured arm, checking on the bite wound before looking at her, as she fell back on her back with a very faint smile. She was just happy to be out of the water frankly, even if she felt like hell. The water and blood from her cheek had mixed into her hair, plastering it to her skin in an unpleasant manner and her jacket was ripped apart at her shoulder.

"Shit tends to happen to me," she said. "Thank you," she added more seriously, as she sat up, leaning her head in her head for a moment, before attempting to stand up. Dean merely grunted in response as he grabbed her arm to support her as she stood up. Even through the leather sleeve he could feel how cold she was.

He let go off her again to peer out the door from the room, picking up one of the lamps in the process. The coyote across him was lying still; the impact had probably killed it, because it was basically just skin and bone. No wonder the small pack had been desperate for food, to the point of attacking much bigger prey than normally. But there was no sign of the one he had shot either.

Ash reached down for her own lamp, following Dean slowly, because her legs felt a bit rigid after the cold water.

"Hah, now I know how you ghouls feel," she tried to laugh it off but it ended up in a cough instead. Dean waited for her to catch up, looking behind them before they made their way back to the room they used as a resting place. On the way there, he made sure to pick up any wooden debris he found to stuff it into the stove and thus making the room a bit warmer.

As Dean brushed off the dust and water droplets from his clothes, Ash sat down at the armchair's arm, taking off the wet jacket to drop it to the ground. Her usual grey tank top was almost black now, and the wound over her shoulder seemed to be a bite wound much like his, only deeper. Apparently the coyote in the water had been very ferocious, as strange as it sounded.

"You're going to get a cold in those clothes," he said suddenly, as she looked at him, arching an eyebrow.

"I don't exactly carry spare clothing with me, you know," she said.

"There's loads of clothes in the closets on the second floor."

"I don't think I could walk too far now, the leather is growing stiff as it is…"

"I could probably get you some," Dean shrugged, as Ash had to look at him again for the offering. "It's just above the staircase," he continued. "You getting a cold, flue or a bloody pneumonia would be a very big hassle!"

"Fine, if you're so concerned, go take a look," Ash huffed amused.

"Concerned about my time schedule…" Dean muttered as he walked back to the door with a lamp and the pistol out. "What's your siz-…" he started before interrupting himself, frowning. "Never mind, I'll just… measure it somehow," he sighed, as he went outside.

Ash looked after him, before she gathered what he had meant and part of her wanted to walk out after him and throw something at his head.

Dean ventured up to the old rooms on the second floor that he had been exploring earlier. Since they were actual bedrooms, finding closets was easy and most of them had clothes in them too. Some clothes were way too old and basically fell into dust in his hands, but a few of them remained whole. They were nothing fancy, clearly peasant clothes, made of poorly made cloth. Nothing he assumed a woman would willingly carry… back before pre-war at least. Heck, he tried to picture the women he knew back then in these clothes and sighed at himself. Mixing the old days with this new world couldn't possibly be a good thing.

He gathered a set of clothes for Ash and grabbing two other piles of clothes before heading back downstairs, keeping his eyes and ears open for anything strange. He couldn't hear anything else but the damn unsettling rain that kept on pouring down on the outside and he was relieved to get back into their room, closing the door behind him. He dropped the two cloth piles on his chair before turning to Ash, who was sitting where he had left her.

Her shoulder looked better now that she had cleaned it out with alcohol and the scrape in her face, cleaner, even if it would obviously remain there for a while. Not that he was one to complain, considering how he looked.

Ash looked up at him as he arrived, arching an eyebrow at the clothes he handed her.

"Hm," she said, as if she hadn't expected him to find any. She looked them over, and Dean half expected her to throw them back in his face, but she didn't. Well, certainly not like the women he used to know, which resulted in him hiding a smirk.

"Did you see anything out there?" she asked.

"No," he shook his head. "It's… eerily still out there."

The woman looked hesitant, looking at the door and then at the stove.

"You can change in here you know, if you don't want to go out there," he shrugged.

"I'd rather not, no, it's warm here," she admitted, as she walked over to the other side of the room. "Turn around."

Dean arched an eyebrow, surprised that she didn't demand of him to walk out the room.

"Well, how well you must know me to trust me that much," he said drily.

"Haven't you said you're a gentleman?" she asked coolly. "I'd rather have that behind my back, than the leering bastards I've seen at the bars in New Vegas and what not," she scoffed.

"True, that I am," he chuckled, as he turned around. Though he wondered if the girl wasn't as… shy as he had first though. But then, she was extremely naïve.

Ash made sure he had turned around before she did so herself, to put on her clothes. Dean had folded his arms across his chest, staring into the wall, before he involuntarily glanced over his shoulder anyway. As soon as he spotted Ash's naked back, he looked back to the wall, facepalming silently.

"Well, it's a good thing I don't much care about clothes in the first place," she said after a minute or so, so he turned around, smirking amused at how she looked. It was pretty much what every poor person in New Vegas wore, randomly patched together clothes from various materials, all from leather to old cloth. The pants in particularly seemed to be made of an old sheet…

"At least now you really do look like a peasant," he said unhelpfully. At least he could pride himself in having good… eye measurement but he kept that ego boost to himself.

"It's dry at least," Ash said, as she went to place her old clothes around the stove to dry up. It'd take a few hours but it was still in the middle of the night anyway.

She sat back in the armchair after that, though she jumped as Dean dropped an old blanket on the back of the chair, right next to her head, before he stopped by her chair at her next words.

"You really don't want me to catch a cold, do you?" she asked amused, as he gave her a small glare, pulling out a cigarette from one of the jacket's pockets.

"No," he replied promptly. "Any more delays and I'm going to blow something up."

"Very… brutal of you. Anyway… thanks for getting me up. I honestly thought it I was going to drown there," Ash shook her head seriously enough. Dean inhaled the smoke before blowing it out again slowly and then looking at her.

"To be honest, you're not the first woman I've pulled out from… well, water," he shrugged with a faint smirk.

"Oh?"

"Yes. It was after one of my shows, it had been at the edge of a small river. Clumsy girl fell right into it and I pulled her out."

"Just like that?"

"I told you I'm a gentleman. Besides, I… uh, knew she was a critic. Not that I was afraid she'd say anything bad about me, it was one of my better shows. But why take the risk?"

"Haha, you sly bastard. That sounds more like you," Ash laughed.

"It was only a small reason," he huffed in a little wounded pride. "Good-looking too."

"Nice legs, huh?"

"… Yes."

Ash smiled smugly in his direction.

"Well… you're a gentleman indeed, I guess," she shrugged amused. "And seriously good at whacking coyotes. Spur of the moment?"

"I don't really like being bitten, you know. Also, maybe my golf lessons kicked in a bit…"

"You've played golf? Really? That is… interesting."

"It was very popular back then, I'll have you know. I was quite good too."

"Of course, Dean. Speaking of which, roll up your sleeve. I want to see that wound."

Dean sighed, obeying if only to avoid any nagging. He flinched though as she grabbed his arm with her hands, running two fingers across the bite mark.

"Not to deep," she noted. "Jacket probably prevented that. You should put some alcohol on it though." Dean gave her a look of disapproval, before he caught the whiskey bottle she tossed him from her bag. Part of him was tempted to say that he could have figured that out himself, when she continued.

"Should I go into details of what that coyote could have eaten?"

"Alright, alright," Dean huffed as he looked at the bottle before sitting down in his armchair again. She tossed him a bit of clean cloth as well, before wrapping the blanket around her, tucking in every toe and finger under it to avoid every bit of cold in the air.

"Meanwhile, you can tell me more about that show. Now that you're willingly bringing it up," she smirked amused at him. The ghoul rolled his eyes, as he tended to his minor wound, doing so carefully.

"Mm… it was quite an excellent show," he said thoughtfully, as he recalled the memories easily, despite his age. Ash couldn't be happier to listen, partly because she was generally interested in other people and their experience. But she also loved to listen to Dean talking, with the way his accent was and how he slowed down the end of some sentences, as if letting the pronunciation linger even further.

Despite the interest in hearing him talk, she fell asleep very shortly after and Dean was left awake, wondering if he should take offense or not.

* * *

><p><strong>Regarding Dean's clothes, it's a bit of a test. If it doesn't work out at all, he can easily find a suit elsewhere. I just wanted to see how it may go, but he must look quite good in that setup. If he'd travel anywhere he can't wear his suit, well this must be the next classy thing.<strong> **Without looking like a peasant or merchant. :P**


	14. Dumb luck

Ash opened her eyes confused as someone nudged her shoulder. Dean obviously, as he moved to the side once he saw she had woken up. The first thing she noticed was that it was almost quiet. The rattling sound from the falling rain was barely there anymore.

"What time is it?" she asked abruptly, as Dean rolled his eyes at the 'rudeness'. Ash didn't have time to apologize though as she checked her pip-boy quickly. It was morning really, around 9am. If they dared moving on today they would have to do so soon, before night could catch up again.

"Have you checked the weather outside?" she continued as Dean gave her a frown now.

"Does it look like I'm doing your job all of a sudden?" he asked. "I just woke up myself." Ash shook her head, as she got up on her feet, cringing a little at how stiff her shoulder felt. A quick look told her that it seemed to be healing fine so far though, so she opened the door out to the corridor carefully, peering outside first.

When the coast seemed clear, she quickly moved to the main door, looking outside. It was definitely raining less, little enough to walk outside in. She returned quickly to Dean who looked at her expectantly.

"It's still raining, but it's about to end soon," she explained. "If I'm not mistaken, your friend shouldn't be too far away from here so we can definitely walk the last bit. If we're lucky we'll be there by the end of the day."

"What? We're that close?" Dean asked startled, though he quickly scoffed quietly afterwards. "Why didn't you say this sooner? We could have been there by now."

"Because I refuse to walk outside during the monsoons; it's dangerous. You saw what happened last night."

"You were clumsy, that's all…"

Ash's eyebrows lowered for a moment before she rolled her eyes and picked up her proper clothes from near the stove.

"Well, we can leave now anyway. Get breakfast on the way. Also, I need to change clothes, so do you mind?" she asked coolly, holding up her old and torn jacket. She'd need to replace it once she was back in Vegas it seemed.

"Alright, alright," Dean waved briefly, leaving the room while pulling on his newfound coat too.

Ash made sure he actually left before she quickly changed, throwing the temporary clothes into the corner. It felt good to be back in her clothes, even if they felt a bit stiff still. Afterwards she packed their things down in her bag, tossing it over her shoulder, as well as her two remaining weapons. The pistol she had lost during her fall in the water and she didn't value it as much as to dive back down there, just to get it.

Once she stepped outside the room, she spotted Dean walking down the nearby stairs from the second floor, pulling something on his hands.

"You found gloves, I see," she noted, once he got close enough. He looked down at his hands, now hidden under black gloves.

"Yes. I am surprised that you can still find some… decent clothing around here," he said drily, gesturing for her to head towards the door.

"So am I."

Dean gave her a look at the honest amusement in her tone, before following her outside. He frowned in disapproval at the faint rain still falling, tucking away his sunglasses mostly because they kept getting stained by the rain.

Nipton looked even worse in daylight, the former massacre here even more obviously noticeable now. Ash had already seen it, while Dean wished he hadn't and tried hard to avoid stepping onto any skeletons; which was an easy task now that the rain had washed away the gathered sand and dirt.

"Interesting town that," he huffed when they were back out on the road, if one could call it that. Ash smirked at his comment, before focusing on their surroundings. The usually empty and dry lakebed between Primm and Nipton now had water in it, a sight she hadn't seen before actually. On the other end of it, a pack of coyotes had gathered, clearly drinking from the well-needed water. Luckily they were too far away to pose a threat.

She brought up the pip-boy, looking closer at the map for the current area. She hadn't given it much thought before but according to Dean, his 'friend' would be in an area she didn't recall even had any buildings.

"Uh, are you sure about the location?" she asked him, barely keeping an eye on the road they were walking on.

"Of course. I got it from a trustworthy source."

"I hesitate to ask how you know what is trustworthy or not after such a short time in New Vegas, but alright. But there's nothing there. No town, no camp… at least from what I know and what the map says."

"Doesn't mean he isn't there."

"Dean, this is just…-"

"He's a tricky bastard," Dean interrupted her as he shook his head. "Camp or town doesn't matter, as long as he's hidden. Not hidden well enough though. Stop arguing about it."

"Trust me; I have seen enough shit to be cautious about these things."

"You're just here to take me to the said location. I can handle dealing with him."

"Sooo… if someone starts shooting I should just stand there?"

"I didn't say that now, did I? Besides, I seriously doubt there'll be any shooting. He's not a very courageous man… or intelligent enough to find the trigger on a pistol."

"No one's that dumb…"

"I wouldn't say that… I've met my share of… dumb people during the years," Dean smirked, giving her an amused look.

"If you're hinting at me, you'd better stay quiet else I'll give you such a punch you'll wish you were back in the Pre-war days where women slapped men instead," Ash glared at him.

"Tsk. That dip in water sure didn't cool your temper."

* * *

><p>The conversation between them continued at about that manner for the next hours, as they traveled past the lake and Primm as well. Ash had suggested heading in there for a bite but oddly enough Dean had refused since the town contained 'people'. Whatever he wanted from his friend, it was something he wanted to keep under lock and key. So much that he'd rather travel through the hills and rocks west of Primm, towards Goodsprings.<p>

So in the late afternoon, Ash was forced to use her hunting skills to provide them with decent enough food. It was mostly an issue because Dean's attitude towards the traveling they were doing unnerved her a bit. He was being _too_cautious, even for him. Heaven forbid she ever spent any more time in the Sierra Madre with him; she'd probably go crazy with all the stealth and caution.

"So… you're going to hunt a gecko, was it?" Dean asked, as he was sitting on a rock somewhere behind Ash, who was lying on her stomach, the hunting rifle in her arms. They were on a hill at the moment, giving her a good view of the area below them. But the thing with hunting was that it was time consuming and since the rain had stopped; giving place to the sun again, it was also warm outside.

"Yes," the woman replied as she kept her eyes in the sights of the rifle, barely breathing as she kept her focus. "Surely you can entertain yourself meanwhile?" The ghoul rolled his eyes, keeping his gaze on her back area for a few moments before shifting it back somewhere on the horizon.

"Oh sure. The view's quite good," he said amused.

Ash looked over her shoulder with a sour look, as Dean arched an eyebrow back.

"What?"

"What view?" Ash asked tersely. Dean merely pointed ahead, towards where one could very faintly see the buildings of New Vegas.

"And pray, what do you think I meant?" he asked with a sneer. "Don't flatter yourself."

"Sorry, but you've already ogled me once. I just reckon a bad habit dies hard," Ash simply shrugged as she returned to looking into the rifle's sights. Dean was openly glaring at her back again.

"You're a very delusional woman," he simply stated, annoyed at himself again. Especially when he found himself staring at the wrong view again.

He winced when a shot was fired suddenly and Ash sat up, tipping the rifle over her shoulder.

"Very good shot though," she smirked at him, as she jumped down the rock to head down the hillside. Dean waited where he sat until she came back; carrying what seemed to be the hind leg of a gecko.

"Repulsive," he muttered at the bloodied view.

"You're the one who insisted on eating out here so don't look at me," Ash shook her head, as she made it ready for the fire they had already prepared. She didn't much mind sitting and waiting for a piece of meat on a stick above the fire to get ready. With good company it was perfectly fine, but she doubted Dean shared her views of that.

Even here the bottom of the hills had some pools of water and some plants even looked a bit greener than before, probably already sucking up the precious water from underground. Dean ate with as much dignity as you could by a campfire, luckily for him Ash had managed to pilfer two plates and forks from their last hideout, even if she mostly ate with her fingers.

She ignored Dean rolling his eyes or otherwise showing his displeasure but either he was too focused on meeting his friend or just so used to her, that he didn't vocally argue the whole thing.

Once they felt content enough they continued moving through the mostly barren landscape. There were hardly any raiders out here and the wildlife was nothing dangerous like Deathclaws or radscorpions. Only geckos and coyotes and Ash be damned if _they_'d catch her off guard again.

"It was ages I walked through here… back when I had just gotten shot," Ash said after they had been walking for a while and evening was closing in.

"I'm amazed you'd remember that after a shot to the head, indeed," Dean said.

"Same. Hell, surviving it was amazing on its own. But I mostly survived the gunshot thanks to the town of Goodsprings and the securitron there, Victor," she smiled amused. "Very nice town, so very helpful."

"Cute. Just where is this _adorable_ little town?"

"Oh, just north of here. Not very far. As in fact, I think that water tower all the way back on that hill is the graveyard."

"Even more charming."

"I was actually pondering paying them a quick visit when we go back," she admitted carefully. "I want to see how they are."

"Fine. As long as I get my things first."

Ash arched an eyebrow as he had given up way too soon. But then, he was very distracted at the moment.

"We will," she nodded. "Hopefully it'll go fine, that little exchange."  
>"With your damn 'luck', I'd say it'll go to hell. If you talk. So don't talk," Dean frowned. "Let me handle that.<p>

"It's not that bad. Maybe it's skill, have you thought of that?"

"Oh, I insist on dumb luck, my dear. I just hope the trip back will be easier than getting here was."

"Don't count on it. I hope whatever reason you have to be here, is important. I think there are a few lights over on that hill," Ash said, pointing in the direction she spoke about. "According to the map, this should be it. Not very… luxurious."

"Why would it be that?"  
>"I'd assume any friend of yours would be just as… "Ash circled her hand looking for the right word, while Dean gave her an unimpressed look.<p>

"Brilliant?" he suggested. "You'll find few like me and none in this camp."

"Hey, what's your business here!" a voice demanded of them suddenly, as Ash turned around, not even having noticed the man that had snuck up on them. Dressed in fairly ordinary leather armor, like most mercenaries, he didn't seem to belong to a faction directly. What was more important was the hunting rifle he was already aiming at them.

"We're here to speak to a man named Bill Morris," Dean said rather quickly. "Tell him that Dean Domino is here." Ash rolled her eyes at the obvious confident tone in Dean's voice. She just hoped this Bill wasn't more interested in shooting him on the spot.

The man, black and short haired glared at them both before he gestured with the rifle for them to continue forward towards the camp. The camp itself consisted of nothing more than a few tents and maybe another five or six men all dressed the same way. They all looked suspicious enough, giving the ghoul and woman glares that would have killed them were they capable.

"Bill!" the black haired guy called out towards the largest tent. "There's someone to see you. Someone called Dean Domino."

"Dean Domino? What kind of fucking name is that!" a hoarse voice came from the tent and Ash knew that Bill was a ghoul even before she saw him. She recognized the strained voices they had after all.

"The only Dean Domino I know is long dead," Bill continued as he stepped out from the tent, pausing half-way, eyes going wide. "This must be a bloody joke…" he muttered afterwards. For being a ghoul he had surprising amounts of black hair left. Sure, there were naked patches on his skull in maybe two places, but otherwise it was fairly clear he still managed the length of hair that reached to his ears, if they had still been visible. Like those in the camp, he also wore a bit more battle ready armor, although he had no visible weapon on him.

"Well, the years haven't been kind to you, I see," Dean said coolly, having folded his arms across his chest now. Bill's eyes twitched, as if the very voice had convinced him it _was_Dean.

"You fucking sod, you got to keep your damned voice, didn't you?" Bill almost hissed. "Only damn thing you were good for anyway, singing like a mindless entertainer…"

"Well, you sure kept fine company in your days," Ash said drily to Dean.

"That's why I said the years hadn't been kind," Dean shook his head, before focusing again on Bill.

"I'm not here to discuss old days, pal. I want what you took from me," he continued coolly, not caring if making demands on another man's camp was a good idea or not.

"What?" Bill grinned amused, the British accent seeping out despite his torn apart voice. "Oh, that? _That?_ After 200 fucking years, you're still moaning about _that?_What makes you think I even still got it… 200 years is a long time, you know. No, I'd rather hear where the fuck you've been. Last I heard was that you were invited to that Sierra Madre place where all the spoiled brats ran off to."

"I stayed there for those years. And of course you still got that with you. You're a collector, Bill. Especially of things that you can grab from your 'sworn enemies'," Dean huffed, waggling his index and middle fingers as he rolled his eyes.

"Even if I do have it, you got quite the balls to come into my camp and demand it. I should just have you and your friend shot on the spot. Who's she, anyway? Your latest conquest? Oh wait, I forget. You look like shit, so probably not."

"She's a friend and a very good shot," Dean shrugged. Ash gave him a look: now he decided to spit out flatter like that, in an enemy camp?

"Either way, I can offer good caps for getting it back," Dean continued. "Or contacts if you will."  
>"What makes you think I want either? I already got good contacts, you twat."<p>

"And yet you're hiding in a hill in the middle of nowhere?" Ash asked, before she could stop herself.

"I'm not hiding, woman. I am biding my time, per orders of a very powerful group of people."

"Working for someone else? Doesn't sound like you, Bill," Dean frowned.

"I earn more on it nowadays. Maybe you haven't noticed but it's very hard to drive your own business around here. Raiders, animals and twats everywhere! Sticking their noses were they fucking shouldn't be! Not to say the bloody NCR."

Ash narrowed her eyes briefly, getting more concerned than before. Someone who opposed NCR was usually her enemy and she did not like sitting in an enemy camp. Especially the way Dean talked to their leader.

"So, what. You're powder gangers? Great Khans?" she asked coolly. Two factions she had already removed in the most peaceful ways she had been capable of.

"Nothing like that! This is the Legion, baby!" Bill almost laughed.

Dean and Ash both looked at each other.

"You're with the cross dressers?" Dean asked, the amusement in his tone all too obvious as Ash groaned.

"What? Oh… I figured you'd be too dumb to realize just how powerful they are, Domino," Bill huffed. "I'd like to see you call them that in Caesar's face. He'd have you tossed off a cliff."

"You too," Ash said with a shrug. "The Legion doesn't take kindly to ghouls or mutants in general."

"Shows what a woman knows," Bill sneered. "The Legion's very happy to have me in their group. I'm a big help, so they have told me. Thanks to me, they're going to get a grip of this area and so can work their way into the Mojave from a different direction than before. Once they have infiltrated the western area, I and my little gang here will be properly invited into the Legion."

"Oh, so you're not in it yet. What do you think happens when they have what they want and if they hate mutants?" Ash asked almost sharply. "Praise you? No, they'll treat you like they treat the women. Like trash. Probably kill you though since you can't breed."

"Would you kindly ask your… servant or whatever she is, to shut the fuck up?" Bill growled at Dean.

"Well… she's telling the truth," Dean said coolly. "Even I have heard what the Legion thinks of… eh, mutants. So you'd be better off with caps, else you might just lose that head of yours. Onto a cliff, I'd guess."

"You're both idiots. I don't want the caps and you're starting to piss me off." Bill gestured for one of his companions, who picked up his gun, most likely to shoot them both.

"Maybe you'll accept something else, something that'll sure impress that… Caesar?" Dean suggested, that creepy undertone in his voice and Ash gave him a concerned look.

"What could you possibly have that'd impress him?" Bill asked annoyed, before Dean pointed at Ash, whose concerned look became downright alarmed.

"The courier that ruined his chance of taking over the Mojave?"

Bill, and a few from his gang all stared at Ash, before the ghoul stepped forward, grabbing her chin to turn her face to the side, spotting the scar from the gunshot to her head.

"I'll be damned…" Bill grinned. "You're the little whore who did all that? Best friends with House and all." He let her go again, ignoring the glare he got from her, but she quickly changed it to Dean instead, rather tempted to kick him somewhere it'd hurt.

"It still doesn't save your skin, Dean. I can just shoot you and take her anyway," Bill shrugged coolly.

"Perhaps. But you'd earn on keeping me alive and letting me go. With the item of course. I got some contacts in New Vegas, very good ones," Dean said calmly. "Wouldn't it be good to have the rumor of the terrifying Bill Morris spread a bit? Perhaps even a chance to slip through the guards in New Vegas? Hell, you can use her to reach House if you so will. He's the real threat to people like you."

"Why wouldn't you just run to the nearest NCR and warn them about this whole affair?" Bill grunted, though he was clearly weighing the odds already.

"You know me. I don't like getting involved in politics… convince Caesar that we mutants are good to have around and I am sure that New Vegas will be the only place I'd care about. Entertaining people and all."

Bill watched him intently, before he snapped his fingers. Two of his gang grabbed Ash suddenly, locking her arms behind her back. She didn't struggle against it for more than a few seconds, because she knew it was pointless. Guns were aimed at them and besides… she was too damned shocked to really ponder any other options.

The ghoul disappeared into his tent for a few moments before coming back out, tossing a small and black box to Dean who caught it mid-air. He opened it briefly before shutting it again.

"I knew you still had it," he smirked coolly to Bill who shrugged.

"So, I let you go, I get the girl to do whatever I like with and you'd be so kind and… do what you do best. And not stick your nose anywhere near my affairs again," Bill said coolly. "Else I might just go back on my deal and have you killed. Because, you fucking deserve it, you twat."

"Deal," Dean said darkly, as he gave Ash a look of utter disregard. She narrowed her eyes back at him, the realization slowly sinking in. Shot in the head, chased by Deathclaws and ghost people and surviving many harsh battles and situations just to get betrayed by someone she traveled with.

There was a certain irony to that…

* * *

><p><strong>I'm sorry if I butchered Legion lore a bit, I read the wikia which didn't mention much so I'm improvising and going by memory and frankly, what fits the story.<strong>

**Also, if anyone's interested, I got a deviantart account where I also upload these, as well as fallout related art. It's not the best, but it's decent, and some of the pieces are relevant to this fanfic, such as Ash.**

**The DA account is mentioned in my profile. Just look up Thren300 on deviantart otherwise.  
><strong>

**Thanks for reading! :)  
><strong>


	15. Being human

For Dean's sake, it was a good thing that Ash had been too shocked at the turn of events to really seriously injure him, because that was what she wanted at this time, hours after the 'deal' had been struck. Stuck in one of the tents, her wrists tied behind her back and stripped of her weapons, she certainly didn't have much else to do but ponder how the hell this had happened.

There had been confusion and shock at first; unable to really believe that Dean had just stabbed her in the back, making it seem as if it was the easiest thing in the world to do as well. She hadn't seen his face when the two guards had pulled her into the tent, but she could bet it was as smug as ever. So much for being partners alright…

Now, as she was sitting on the ground, her fingers grinding into the dirt behind her, all she felt was anger. Anger at herself for falling for it, that Dean would sell her over the second he had what he wanted. Part of her still doubted it was true, didn't want to believe it. But maybe history was a good repeater in that damned ghoul.

She was woken up from her inward ranting, as someone pulled the tent opening to the side, the sharp morning sunlight landing right in her eyes.

"Rise and shine, princess," a man's voice reached her ears, as she got pulled up and pushed outside. While her eyes adjusted to the light, another man approached her, someone she recognized as Bill.

"No attempts to escape at all? Not what I expected, judging by your reputation," he said coolly, peering at her.

"I don't recall ever getting captured in my travels…" Ash said drily, looking sharply at him.

"Hah! And it was Dean who got you captured. Your expression was quite priceless when he sold you off. Something tells me you didn't expect it. Obviously you don't know the man."

"I know him alright. Where is he?"

"I don't fucking know. He left pretty early. Poor sod won't make it through the Mojave without a guard, but hardly my problem."

Ash's eyes hardened at the news, as she looked around the camp. Not even a goodbye? Hell, a last word of how clever he had been to trick her? It didn't sound like him to miss such an opportunity to rub something like that in her face. Or maybe he was just that much of a coward.

As she looked at the camp she realized they looked about ready to leave, which puzzled her.

"Where are you going?" she asked, as Bill focused his cold gaze back on her.

"Somewhere else. Despite Dean's… 'reassurance' I'd rather not risk a bunch of NCR appearing, so we'll be relocating."

"Taking me with you I guess? So you might as well tell me where we're going."

"I still haven't decided what to do with you. Pleasing Caesar with bringing him a well-known enemy is tempting but what we're doing here will already make things a lot easier for him. No, I think I might have something else in mind for you. Your boss must be quite fucking rich after all."

Ash h_ad_ to roll her eyes at that.

"You're going to blackmail Mr. House with me? Really?" she asked. "What makes you think he gives a damn about me?"

She hoped he did care a bit, but that man was a mystery in regards of how much effort he wanted to put in his crew. But paying to get back an 'agent' of his? Hardly.

"I'm sure he does. After all, you must have a lot of secrets he doesn't want spilled. And we can make you talk, trust me," Bill huffed.

"Trust _me_, House hasn't told me shit. What little I do know, won't help you because you won't get by his security," Ash continued in a dry, unimpressed tone.

Dean had been right in one thing; Bill hardly seemed violent or very clever and she had seen his type before. People who tried to frighten their victims into talking, but otherwise hiding behind their guards if things got too hot. His threat of torture could very well be true, but she could hardly make things worse for herself by talking back. For now, Bill would need her alive anyway. So she might as well try and talk him out of even working with the Legion.

"We'll see about that, won't we?" Bill sneered back. "Keep an eye on her; if she gets away it's on your heads," he ordered the others in the camp. The man holding Ash pushed her forward with the rifle in his hand, making her sit down by the campfire for now. So far she couldn't see an easy way out of this mess, but perhaps when they traveled, she'd have a better shot.

* * *

><p>It couldn't be more than an hour later that the camp seemed about ready to move to who knew where. Bill had been pretty tight-lipped about that so Ash simply had to improvise as much as she could. The problem was that with nothing to do and none to talk to, she just ended up seething over Dean. One of the guards was behind her, still with a gun aimed at her back as they walked down the nearest slope. She had already made one attempt at trying to wriggle her wrists out of the rope that was already beginning to gnaw at the skin there, but the man behind her had quickly hit her in the head; almost knocking her unconscious. So now she had a headache as well which didn't help her to focus.<p>

Said headache did _not_ appreciate the sudden loud _boom_ in front of the traveling party, as an explosion tore apart the ground, throwing dust and pebbles all over the place. It was way too large to be a mine or grenade, so the best guess from Ash's side was that it was a missile launcher or something. Nothing you easily got hands on out here.

Another explosion followed, this time behind them and this one knocked most of the party to the ground.

"Fucking hell, find the bastard who's shooting!" Bill shouted somewhere, as he was lying on the ground, trying to get up again. The remaining guard started shooting in seemingly random directions, which meant none was paying attention to Ash. And she wasn't as dumb as to not use that opportunity. She made quite the jump upwards to move her tied hands to the front instead before quickly backing away from the scene.

Once she was sure none was looking, she turned around and ran away as fast as she could, considering she had poor balance with tied up wrists. As soon as she could, she dodged behind some cliffs, pulling up her tied wrists along one of the sharper edges and started to saw the rope away. Gritting her teeth, she realized it was a time-consuming process. A bad thing, since she had heard Bill order someone to find her again.

It proved to be correct as one of the men darted around the corner of the cliff, but before he could lift the weapon in his hands, Ash moved forward using the fact her hands were together to hit him in the face fairly hard. As he was thrown slightly to the side, she went for the weapon, grabbing it and throwing it upwards so the handle hit his chin.

"Fucking whore," he growled, pissed off now as he recovered faster than she had expected. He used her lack of balance to throw her to the ground again, aiming the gun at her.

"Now come along, nice and slowly and I won't blow your head off," he sneered at her. His grin quickly faded though as a pistol clicked right next to his head, the cold muzzle coming to rest on his temple.

Ash stared like an idiot as Dean properly stepped forward from behind the cliff next to the man, forgetting her anger with the ghoul for the moment.

"Not much of a charmer are you?" Dean said in his usual smug tone. "Drop the weapon."

The guard grunted something, but he dropped it quickly enough, lifting his hands afterwards, as Dean moved past him, facing him the whole time though, gun in hand. He offered his free hand to Ash to pull her back up, much to the guard's chagrin.

"Run back to Bill and tell him that the deal's off," Dean smirked at him. "Preferably before he gets blown up to pieces. I am sure he'll _love_ to hear it."

The guard darted off quickly enough back to the battle outside of the cliffs that was still going on judging by the sounds. Dean holstered his pistol before pulling out a knife from his belt, using it to cut off the ropes from Ash's wrists. She was glaring at him, but at the moment expression her anger would only make things distracting.

"Why?" she asked instead, as she rubbed her sore wrists.

"We're partners," Dean said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Or did you forget?"

"Since you backstabbed me I sort of _did_ forget, y_es_," she almost growled.

"Right. About that. We can take it up later, I'm not sure how long your friends can hold these idiots at bay," Dean said.

Ash arched an eyebrow, letting the argument slide for now.

"My friends?" she asked puzzled. Dean merely gestured for her to follow, as he walked beyond the cliffs, using the route he had obviously used before to get around the whole battle. Once it was rounded, Ash spotted a few figures standing among the rocks on top of a hill, safely covered from any returning fire. A dog among them barked, before it rushed over to Ash, greeting her with tail waggling and all.

"Cheyenne…?" Ash frowned as she recognized the dog that stopped in front of her, before she looked up to spot Sunny aiming down towards the 'Legion' allies with her hunting rifle. Next to her, more hidden, stood a securitron but she already knew it had to be Victor, with his ability to jump between securitrons all over the Mojave.

"What the…" Ash muttered, blinking in confusion. "What are you doing here?" she continued, as the gold haired woman grinned at her.

"Funny seeing you again," she chuckled as she called the dog back to her.

"Did you…?" Ash asked Dean who shrugged.

"They saved you once. I thought they wouldn't mind doing it again," he simply said.

She stared at him before Sunny came over to her, letting Victor distract the people down below with his missile launcher.

"All fun, but we shouldn't stand around here and talk," she said coolly. "We should head back to Goodsprings, before they realize we're fewer than they think."

"They're Legion," Ash frowned. "Can't Victor just blow them the hell up?" she added in a huff.

"Not our fight. We only came here to get you," Sunny shook her head. "Let the NCR deal with them."

"I don't like letting Bill go either, but she has a point," Dean said.

"You already got your… box out of him, he's no bother to you anymore," Ash frowned. Dean's expression was unreadable for a moment, before he shook his head.

"I still don't like him," he replied cryptically. "Now come on, I believe the plan was to retreat back to Goodsprings, yes?"

"Yes. Victor, give them a nice distraction, won't you?" Sunny asked the securitron. The robot sent a last missile between them and Bill's crew, before he rolled after the other three that made a run for it.

Goodsprings wasn't too far off but it wasn't close enough one could run the whole way anyway. Luckily there were large rocks and hills so one could easily keep out of sight. Not that Bill's gang seemed intent on following and they were sure to check behind them at all times.

First when they could see Goodsprings did Ash take out her long held back anger and punched Dean in the face, so hard that he tumbled back into a large rock, clutching his face.

"Bloody…!" he gritted through his teeth, giving Ash a venomous glare over his hand.

"That's for selling me over like some _slave_!" she glared back at him, still fisting her hand as if making ready for another go.

Victor made a move as to intervene, but Sunny lifted her hand, being the more reasonable, human mind in this matter.

"There was nothing else to do!" Dean frowned back, looking down at his hand. Even if he lacked a nose, her punch had still managed to draw blood from… well, somewhere on his already ruined face skin.

"They would have killed us both if I hadn't come up with something. I came back for you, didn't I? Some gratitude."

"_Gratitude?_ You gambled with my life for your little box, Domino! There's no fucking gratitude for that!"

"Calm down, Ash, surely you see the logic in what I'm saying."

Ash narrowed her eyes; he just didn't get to tell her to calm down when all of this was his damn fault. A small part of her knew he had a point but she hated this plan. She had been honestly hurt and all he could say was to calm down and that she was _ungrateful_?

She pulled back her hand, still glaring at him.

"Damn bastard," she said, as she started walking again, towards Goodsprings. Dean glared after her, trying to get rid of the blood from his hand, before he ended up drying it off on the rock he had been pushed against.

"You did have that one coming," Sunny pointed out to the ghoul who frowned at her.

"None of your business," he said sharply, as he followed too, on a distance from Ash who looked tense enough from behind.

* * *

><p>Sunny walked up to Ash once they were in the actual, small town of Goodsprings. It was a familiar and comforting sight, so Ash was lost in thought until the woman poked her shoulder.<p>

"You should go see the doc," she said. "I can take your… friend to the bar meanwhile."

"I can't stay for long. The whole town will be in trouble if that gang decides to track us," Ash frowned back, causing Sunny to smile amused.

"Let them come. They weren't that many after all," she shrugged. "What about your friend? You leaving him?"

Ash looked back to where Dean was standing, smoking a cigarette in a faster pace than normal, something she had noticed he did when he was seething or generally… different.

"I don't care what the hell he does," she scowled back to Sunny. "He has what he came for. Tempted to let him find his way back to New Vegas on his own."

"Well, I admit what he did was kind of bad, the few details I got. But when he came here he seemed very concerned for your safety. We didn't trust him at first but Victor confirmed the whole thing. Apparently he was aware you were away on a… mission with the ghoul."

Ash wasn't sure what was the most surprising. That House knew about her side tracking or that Dean had been showing… concern. Sunny seemed to pick up on her curiosity and gave her a nudge towards the doctor's house.

"We can talk about that later," she said. "Go get sorted and come back here afterwards. Don't worry about the gang; we'll post a few guards in case. Victor will be staying around this area too. Now that he's… updated he can handle most things on his own."

"Fine," Ash grunted as she took the right turn, up to the white house that belonged to a doctor named Mitchell. A good, old man, who had saved her life when she had been shot in the head. So really, she owed him everything and yet he hadn't requested anything in return. Probably the one she felt most at home with in the town.

She made a small wave after she had knocked on the door and the bald man opened it, eyeing her already.

"Hello, Ash. Sunny warned me that you might be arriving injured," he said as he showed her inside. "But you look sort of alright. At least you ain't shot in the head this time."

"Yeah, I'd rather not go through that again," Ash shook her head amused, as she had barely sat down before he was already working on the cuts on her wrists. The inside of the house looked exactly the same, filled with medical equipment.

"Got a really bad headache though, after a hit to the head," she admitted. "You think I can crash on your sofa for an hour or so?"

"Of course," Mitchell replied as he checked on her head too, finding the sore bump quickly enough. Ash fell into silence, finding no reason to talk further. She mostly just wanted to sleep away the headache and confusion now.

* * *

><p>By the time she woke up again, it was obvious that Mitchell had figured she needed the sleep because it was dark outside. She had to have had slept the whole day. The old man wasn't around and the door to his bedroom was shut so she snuck out quietly. The first thought she had was where Dean would be, but she brushed it away quickly, huffing. She was still miffed at him for his… very risky idea, but now she was starting to get over the hurt. It hadn't been for real after all. The fact that Dean had walked to Goodsprings and gotten help was… very surprising. He couldn't have done all that just because he wanted help getting back to New Vegas…<p>

She spotted Victor rolling about outside the bar so she ventured over to him. Nowadays, the cowboy display on his screen reminded her of the safe New Vegas and to be honest she wished she was there right now, in her own bed to sleep peacefully for once.

"Howdy, partner!" Victor greeted her, as cheerful as ever. "Things are looking quiet still."

"That's good. Bill may be a coward but his gang can prove dangerous enough," Ash sighed as she looked out towards the dark landscape outside the town.

"How come you're here? I know you can jump from machine to machine but… last time I saw you, you were in New Vegas."

"The one before me snapped up what was happening, so Mr. House transferred me to this one to aid in what way I could," Victor replied.

"He did?" Ash asked startled.

"Yes."

"Huh… I didn't expect him to… get involved."

"He favors you, partner. Mr. House always takes care of his agents and you are the best one."

"Reassuring. Well… I should probably go find the others so they don't think I've vanished somewhere," Ash continued, still a bit surprised about Mr. House's actual involvement. She would have to remember to thank him for that later. Victor had been good at distracting Bill's gang, as she doubted Sunny and Dean could have done much by themselves.

She went for the bar next but the time had to have been later than she thought because the barkeeper, as well the town's leader, Trudy wasn't there. There was a note on the counter though, so Ash picked it up.

"_Ash, doc said you were asleep. Wasn't sure when you'd wake up but any drinks and food are on the house. _

_Trudy."_

That was a generous offer, but then maybe the inhabitants here trusted her more than she thought. She didn't mind though and she hadn't eaten or had anything to drink for almost 24 hours now. She stuck her head into the bar's fridge, heating up one of the already grilled lizards, along with a glass of ordinary water.

It was nice to just get the food served for once not to say sit in a proper room, even if it was quiet and lonely there. At least until she sat down with the food. That's when a shadow moved in the back by one of the wall couches.

"God dammit!" Ash exclaimed as Dean sat down next to her suddenly, nearly making her fall off the chair in surprise. "What's the matter with you, are you _trying_ to get me killed?" she snapped afterwards, returning to her food after a very sour look at him.

"No, but you seem to think so," he said drily, placing a wine glass in front of him, as his fingers circled the edge of it.

"Gee, I wonder why."

"I still fail to see the problem. Alright, you thought I really was selling you off, but I didn't. But you're still angry."

"Plan or not… I still didn't like it. I don't like getting… backstabbed. For real or not," Ash shook her head dismally. "Besides, your reputation isn't exactly reassuring."

"I've never stabbed anyone in the back. Blackmailed, yes… but never stabbed. So I'm not sure what my reputation has to do with this. Is it an apology you want?"

"Maybe," Ash frowned, not admitting he had a point regarding his past. But then, that was something she had to take his word for, as she hadn't been there.

"I couldn't give you an honest one, because I'm not sorry that I possibly saved our lives," Dean shook his head. Ash grunted, stabbing the fork through the food all the way to the plate.

"I can apologize for how you reacted to it though," he continued with a shrug. "You're an annoying woman, but that doesn't mean I want to make you my enemy. Or kill you. Don't have much use of you dead, do I?" he asked amused.

"You got the most screwed up way of apologizing, Dean," Ash arched an eyebrow at him. "I think those 200 years alone threw you off your former smoothness."

"Hmph, I'm still smooth. But would you appreciate me being smooth and… frankly lying, rather than cold truth?"

"Try and be smooth with me and you'd get another punch."

"Exactly."

Ash was partly lying, but she would get peeved if he had tried to sugarcoat everything for her. He was smooth with everyone else and tricking his enemies. He had to, since his skills with weapons weren't that of a raider or mercenary. At least she was treated differently. She was treated with his _real_ personality. Not many knew of that and that was what she preferred.

"They took my weapons," she said suddenly, not really giving him an answer as to whether she had accepted the apology or not. He could wait, for all she cared. "They took everything."

"Don't tell me you packed anything important with you…"

"Well, no. Nothing that can't be replaced. But my weapons, Dean. Do you have any idea how much an anti-matter rifle costs?"

"Your payment for this will surely cover it."

"My payment is over 8000 caps?"

Dean blinked, glancing at her quickly.

"You lost a weapon that costs over 8000?" he asked.

"No, _you_ lost me a weapon that costs over 8000. Don't deny that. The worst thing is, I lost my caps too. So how am I supposed to get new weapons for the trip back home?"

"Why are you looking at me? You're the guard here, not me."

"Me being weaponless is because of your plan, alive or not, Domino. I expect you to replace them."

"_Expect?_" Dean frowned at her.

"Yes. Not necessarily here and now, but you will."

"What makes you think you can demand things of me?"

"The fact you won't get back to New Vegas without me. North is too dangerous, south now has possibly Bill waiting and none here will help you."

"… You're blackmailing me."

"Ironic, isn't it?"

"Alright, alright. I'll replace them when I can. But I need to get back to New Vegas in order to do so."

"You're not lying are you?"

"Of course not. I just told you, I don't want to make you my enemy."

Ash bit her tongue lightly, pondering the words before settling with them and continuing eating. Dean took a drink from his glass, looking thoughtful. Not many, if anyone, got away with making demands of him but for some reason he couldn't be arsed to argue about it. Thank god the girl hadn't been there to see how worried he had been when he had left the camp last morning. The plan had been there the whole time, but to say it out loud, to Bill of all people had been an effort. Even more important that Bill didn't understand that Ash was more than just a simple bodyguard, else the damn weasel would have been even more pleased at the deal.

He lifted out the cigarette package from one of his pockets, realizing he only had one cigar left. All the smoking he had done today while waiting had been ridiculous. Hurrying to Goodsprings in the morning had been nerve wrecking enough, talking to the people there and being unsure if they'd even help. Normally he didn't give a damn about putting some random fool in trouble but Ash? He hadn't felt… guilty about anything for many years and he didn't appreciate being reminded of that feeling.

That was probably the only thing he missed from the Sierra Madre, the peace and quiet, with nothing to bother him except the Ghost people and the occasional dimwit who died soon anyway.

He realized he had been holding the cigar the whole time, to the point that Ash was now arching an eyebrow at him, so he lit it up, looking away from her as if nothing was wrong. That head turn resulted in him spotting a poster of himself in his glory days on the wall behind the bar. It wasn't new to him, he had seen it before and mostly he didn't care but now he was almost annoyed by it. Looks hadn't been important out in the Sierra Madre but out here, they certainly helped. Not that he needed good looks to survive; he had other skills, but being a ghoul just didn't work well for some things.

"What do you miss the most?" Ash asked suddenly and he glanced at her briefly, realizing she had seen what he had been looking at.

"Of what?" he asked coolly.

"Being human." Dean scoffed at the somewhat blunt question, but she was a curious thing, he knew that much.

"The hair. Never thought I'd grow bald," he replied after a while. Ash was looking at the poster now as well, tilting her head to the side a bit while looking thoughtful. He had been a good looker but it was odd to think that the grinning man on the poster was Dean.

"Does it matter? That picture is over 200 years old," she said, nodding towards it.

Dean gave her a look as if she was crazy.

"Honestly. Strangest woman I've yet to meet," he shook his head afterwards. "Not to say only woman that's gotten away with hitting me…"

"Hm. Yes, that was very satisfactory."

"Don't do it again."

"Depends on you."

They were both glaring at each other again, until Dean smirked with the air of a man that knew better than to argue back to her. For now.

* * *

><p><strong>For those who might find this conclusion disappointing, keep in mind I got no intention of quitting this fic anytime soon. And I'm still experimenting and exploring the characters to be honest, as well as working on making the chapters longer.<strong>


	16. Too much credit

The next early morning, Ash was already outside the town, walking along the edges of it, like she had so many months ago. She carried a shotgun in her hands, a weapon she had borrowed from Chet, the town's tradesman, after a lot of convincing from Sunny. After all, how could Ash stay alive outside the town without any weapon? What if Bill's thugs appeared, rendering her unable to save Chet's precious life?

Ash had watched in amusement as Sunny had brought up many reasons for Chet to lend Ash a weapon, until she had actually gotten the weapon in her hands by a very disgruntled Chet. Granted, any damage to it and she'd be paying him back somehow so she wasn't entirely off for free.

After having patrolled the town's perimeter, enjoying the feeling of being in this familiar place again, she eventually ended up next to the graveyard. That's where the feeling of discomfort came crawling back, as she walked up the hill up to the top. It looked like she remembered, although one thing was missing. The hole that'd have been her grave if Victor hadn't intervened, was filled up some time ago, judging by the plants that were already growing over it.

Ash kicked the dirt on the spot, the shotgun hanging along her leg from her right hand, as she stared at it. Fate was a funny thing, clearly. From a grave to where she was now.

"So, is this the legendary spot?" Dean's familiar voice came from behind her, as she glanced over her shoulder, spotting him walking up the slope with his hands in his trenchcoat's pockets.

"Heh… legendary. Overdramatizing it," she shook her head in response. "How come you're awake so early? Victor's little shack not good enough for you?"

"It was… well it beats sleeping in a cave," the ghoul snorted. "Not much peace to sleep. Need new cigarettes and I suppose this charming little town lacks those."

"Chet probably has some. Problem is… no caps."

"Yes, I know."

"See it as a chance to quit smoking. Nasty habit anyway."

"I've smoked for 200 years without any health troubles. Suppose it's one good thing with being radioactive."

"Well then. It smells bad."

"Deal with it. Can't you borrow caps from someone?"

"I've already borrowed this shotgun. Go borrow something yourself."

"I don't borrow things…"

He paused next to her, pulling off his sunglasses as he looked at the ground, before folding them into a chest pocket. She had noticed him doing it lately, taking off his glasses around her.

"Why would you come to stand on a place like this?" he asked. "With your habit of getting nightmares about every bloody thing you encounter, is it such a wise move?"

"You don't think I've already had bad dreams about being buried alive? I don't remember much of that, but I remember enough. Trying to claw through a coffin or suffocating while the earth above you falls over you," Ash muttered. "I don't know why I walked up here. A reminder maybe, as to how things could have gone. I could be standing here like a ghost now, watching my own grave, literally. If one believed in such things as ghosts."

Dean arched an eyebrow at her.

"Blimey, what did they put in your drink? You're hardly ever this negative about anything," he said, sounding honestly surprised. "Is this about the whole 'betrayer' thing again?"

"No. Maybe. Well no, not really. But I really thought I was screwed there for a while… somehow, losing your freedom seems worse than dying… especially when it comes to the Legion."

Her shoulders sunk further, as she brushed her hair away from her face, since the wind was blowing more up on the hill. "I don't know, not feeling all that great, I guess," she shrugged. She noticed that Dean was patting his pocket now and then as if constantly forgetting he was out of cigarettes, only to end up folding his arms across his chest.

"Believe it or not, but I too had days where I didn't feel that great in the Sierra Madre," he said, sounding aloof about it. Ash had to smile a bit.

"That's hard to believe indeed. You having a bad day, Dean…" she shook her head.

"It happens rarely," he scoffed. "But they happen. Back there it was usually the days were I had too many close calls or… just generally when the ghoulification was at its worst. But I got over it. Shrugged it off and moved on."

He looked at her briefly in the sort of manner he did whenever he thought himself better than her.

"You can't do that, obviously," he smirked. "No, you're the type that needs a listener. Like your peasant friend, I'm sure he's heard quite a lot from you."

"Raul," Ash corrected him drily. "You make me sound absolutely weak, Dean…"

"Rubbish. You're not weak. You're just… different than I am. You need different methods than most people I've met. But it's not a bad thing. Luckily, I know even how to deal with people, even you. So, tell me what's wrong."

"Hang on," Ash said, lifting her free palm up. "Are you offering to listen to me ranting" she continued, arching a bemused eyebrow. The ghoul's chest moved in another scoff.

"Take it the way you want," he said coolly. "_But_… if you pouring your heart's contents out to someone will get us on the move back to New Vegas, I'm willing to lend an ear or two."

"That's very… courteous of you but I'm fine. Talking to you about such things is asking for trouble, no offense."

"Honestly, Ash, you wound me," Dean said, putting his hand on his chest. "Literally sometimes…" he added drily, touching his 'nose'.

"Don't worry; I know you really don't want to listen to any rants. Anyway, I'm done up here. We should probably go and get you cigarettes before you start missing them too much."

With that Ash turned to walk back down the hill they had come from. Dean looked after her before following. It was almost ironic how he realized he wanted to hear what she was thinking about really, and she didn't believe him. He snorted loudly, why would he care anyway. It was probably the lack of cigarettes that made him think he did in fact care.

"I thought you were going to let me get them myself," he called over to her, once he caught up back down in the town.

"Knowing you, you'd probably start a fight. I don't want you killed or you killing anyone here. They're good people."

"Second insult in less than five minutes? Really, Ash?"

"Yes, really. You usually don't care what I say," she said, arching an eyebrow at him.

"Of course I don't. But I can't have you insulting me all the time can I?"

Ash put her hand on the door to the general store, shaking her head at him before pushing it open. Chet was standing behind the counter in the furthest end of the room, and he gave her a dismal look when she entered. His store was filled with trinkets, weapons and armor, more things than you would expect from a little store this far out in the middle of nothingness. Just a shame its owner was greedy.

"Aren't you supposed to be out there and killing things, with my shotgun?" he asked quickly enough, putting his hands on the counter in front of him. With brown, short hair, dirty clothes and various tools in his belt he really did look his role.

"I will go right back out there, but my friend here needs more ammo for his addiction;" Ash said with a smile, gesturing back at Dean, who rolled his eyes at her.

"It's not an addiction," he said pointedly.

"You got any cigarettes?" Ash continued, ignoring Dean.

"I do. But do you have the caps," Chet said tersely.

"I don't, no. But surely…. Offering a package of cigarettes to Dean Domino? Think of your reputation. Or maybe he'll sing a song for you in return?"

"Ash, thank you, but I can handle this myself now, before you offer to sell me, just as revenge."

"Ooh! I didn't think of that!" she grinned back at the ghoul, who grabbed her shoulder to pull her back.

"Please, good sir. You see what I have to put up with," he told Chet, pointing towards Ash. "Besides, I'm sure she can find some way of earning caps before the day's over. With your scavenging and everything," he continued, folding his arms as he looked at Ash.

"Prospecting, Dean," she pointed out. "And you're right. Hell, I can go and pick some herbs and plants, if you want, Chet?"

"Do whatever you want as long as you come back with the caps today, alright? And for God's sake, take your bickering outside!"

Dean caught the cigarette package tossed to him by Chet, before they both left the building. He was already lighting up while Ash looked around the town. As expected most of the inhabitants were busy taking care of their crops or the bighorners that walked around. Like they had so many months ago. Funny, how some places didn't seem to change. Although she was sure she saw some strangers she hadn't before so maybe they were visited by more travelers now than before.

Ash lifted the shotgun, leaning it to her shoulder as she glanced at Dean.

"Well… looks like we need to go and get the plants to pay Chet for _your_ cigarettes," she said drily.

"_We?_" Dean asked, giving her a look in return.

"Yes. I'm not the one smoking that crap. You're coming with me, if just to help me keep an eye out," she said in a matter of fact tone, before walking right by him and out towards the outside of Goodsprings.

"Keep an eye out here? This place is as deserted as… well, a desert," Dean muttered, following her though, mostly because he had nothing better to do and he'd be damned if he was going to be left alone with the _peasants_ here.

"There's still wild animals here, you should know this by now. Maybe we'll find more coyotes for you to play golf with," Ash chuckled, glancing at Dean as she walked out among the small rocks and plants, most of them looking greener than usual thanks to the rain not long ago.

"Amusing..." Dean muttered as he took care to not step somewhere unpleasant. Ash noticed that he was more himself now that he had the thing he had come here for. Not so rushed and careless.

"By the way, what was in the box?" she asked.

"Nothing you need to know."

"Are you kidding me? I brought you all the way out here, and got sold in the process? I have the right to know…"

"Ash, I didn't _sell_ you, how many times do we have to go through this? Besides, asking questions about said box wasn't part of the deal. I thought you were a good courier. One who doesn't ask about the packages you deliver or fetch."

Ash gave him a mild glare, taking a deeper breath than normal.

"Whatever it is, it has to be important since you went through all of this. But I can't see what's so important in such a small box," she said coolly.

"Things don't have to be big to be important."

"Sounds like a lame defense from a guy."

"… What?"

"Nothing."

"For heaven's sake, Ash. Grow up," Dean huffed at her. Girl was talking back to him something fierce now, but to be honest it was amusing. Refreshing. Back in new Vegas everyone obeyed his every whim after all. Besides, he was sure it was some revenge tactics from her side about the whole trade gone wrong earlier.

"Well, you got all touchy…" Ash snickered amused, making him frown even more.

"Weren't you supposed to find something out here?" he asked tersely.

"Haven't passed it yet."

They continued, in silence. The only sound that really broke the silence was when Ash cut off a plant somewhere before tucking it down in a small pouch, hanging from her belt. Out here, east of Goodsprings there wasn't much activity at all. Beyond the smaller cliffs was the road that led to New Vegas, but rarely used thanks to the Deathclaws occupying it further up north. It had been even worse before when the Powder gangers had been there as well. Luckily for most travelers, the NCR had dealt with them by now, thanks to Ash. She hadn't seen Powder gangers since then and she wasn't surprised. They had never been a hard core raider group like the Fiends, at least from what she knew of.

Small factions would be wiped out eventually, probably by the NCR, even if they hadn't exactly won the war at Hoover dam. But they were sure better off than the Legion. Not that the Legion had fully given up on the Mojave either, considering the very few and small Legion scouts that still stuck their noses into the desert. But at least their numbers were fewer as well and Caesar had retreated a bit.

Hopefully she'd be long dead before the Legion would attempt anything again. Hell, hopefully before some other faction decided to make things short with the NCR or House. One could only handle so much war.

She was walking right towards an odd looking monument, a white cross with the remains of a white wall around it. Not until she was standing next to the cross itself did she stop, looking out over the landscape below them. Right in front of them but beyond the white, short wall, there was a very rocky slope, and several signs that warned about Deathclaws.

Dean had walked around the cross, reading the worn out sign in front of it, lifting up his glasses in the process.

"Yangtze memorial… oh, that," he said suddenly, as if barely recalling what the event was about. Ash didn't really know either, something about an attack that had happened way before her time. Something with how the Chinese had attacked and failed and a lot of Americans had died in the process, were off the memorial. She barely knew what the Chinese was… another country, but that was all. Even so, it didn't matter now.

"I remember hearing about it but I cared little for the news," Dean continued at her inquiring look. "Unless they were about music," he smirked. "Always had to keep an eye on the competition."

"I suppose news were more… frequent and important in those days," Ash shrugged. "Today they're usually depressing or unhelpful."

"You think it was so much better before? Important and frequent yes, but it wasn't exactly cheery news. Trust me, my dear; the world wasn't much better off before the bombs. It was just… classier. That's about it."

He looked up at the cross again, before putting on his glasses.

"Are we here because of a whim of your pre-war interest?" he asked.

"No. I know little of that battle, beyond what it says on the sign," Ash shook her head. "This is where I first hear the radio transmission from Raul's captors. This is also the area I explored while my head was still constantly ringing from the shot to it. Spent a good few days here, so I know it well."

Dean folded his arms across his chest, seemingly settling with that explanation. He didn't even say anything the ten minutes they just stood there, Ash fiddling with the Pip-boy now and then, probably checking so that the super mutants hadn't returned to their hideout and had captured someone else. He certainly didn't want to think about the fact that he had thought of her as a very kind hearted soul there for a moment. He was spending way too much time thinking about _her_, it was very unnecessary. He should be pondering what to do when he was back in New Vegas, but it just seemed so far off. What the hell had happened to his focus? It was as if it had been shifted…

"Well, we got enough plants for Chet to at least pay off your cigarettes," Ash said suddenly, almost startling him. She gave him a look, as he was still standing with folded arms, looking almost grim for a moment. Something had been on his mind, something he didn't like it seemed. Hell, he looked almost foreboding in that dark trenchcoat and expression, as if he was hiding a set of weapons underneath. It was an amusing picture, Dean pulling out an extreme weapon like a machine gun or something from under his coat, so when she turned to leave she had to stifle laughter at her own crazy imagination.

"What now?" Dean asked as he followed her.

"Nothing. Just a… cute image," she smirked, shaking her head.

"Containing me I take it, since you were in fact looking at me."

Ash gave him a slight frown, _not_ liking the smirk he now wore.

"And that answers it," he replied smugly.

"It does not!" she piped up quickly enough, giving him a glare this time. "You're not always in my head, you know."

The eyebrow that Dean arched and his smirk had to have been the most provokative gesture from him so far.

"Not always? So I have been?" he asked, his smirk quickly turning into a smug grin.

"Don't twist my words around, Domino," she frowned back, already full aware that her face was red by now. "And stop grinning… and making assumptions!"

"I'm not the one who brings these things up!"

Ash grunted something under her breath, looking more peeved than he had seen her in a long time. She had been recently angry yes, but not peeved. He offered her his arm suddenly, now that they were walking on somewhat steady ground back towards Goodsprings. She gave it a look before frowning at him.

"It's a common, polite gesture towards women pre-war," he explained. "You wanted to know more about that time, yeah? Might as well learn hands-on." Ash narrowed her eyes despite his explanation so he hadn't expected her to accept it. When she did, he smirked at her, before tipping his glasses back in place on the brink of what remained on his noise.

Ash mostly wondered what the hell he was up to now, but she would be a fool if she didn't admit to liking it. She was rarely this close to him and at the moment, it was enough comfort for her to put up with the situation they were in. Some minor acceptance from Dean, without him acting like a stuck up bastard while at it. Even if he had been an asshole a while back.

* * *

><p>Once they got back to Goodsprings, Sunny was standing outside Chet's general store, her dog waiting faithfully by her side. Cheyenne started barking eagerly upon Ash's approach, clearly happy to see the other woman. Ash pulled away from Dean, when she noticed Sunny smirking at them, amused clearly. Dean on the other hand pretended like nothing had happened, returning to his professional attitude that he had around other people.<p>

"I suppose you haven't seen anything out there?" Sunny asked Ash who shook her head. "Nothing, not even any animals," Ash frowned. "It's strange on its own, I guess."

"A little but wouldn't be the first time. There are more travelers here than before so some animals get spooked off. The geckos are thankfully in lesser numbers than before too. But we haven't seen any travelers enter the town today…"

Ash looked back out over the east area of Goodsprings, frowning a little.

"Perhaps someone else is out there, spooking them off?" she suggested.

"I really hope you're not referring to Bill. He couldn't possibly be that stupid as to follow us here," Dean snorted.

"He seemed pretty stupid to me. Our tracks shouldn't be easy to follow but if he has a good tracker with him… who knows."

"I'll keep some guards up in case. Some of our visitors are good with guns, they probably won't mind aiding us if need be," Sunny smiled amused.

"Can hope Bill doesn't sneak in and bribe them though…" Ash sighed.

"You give him way too much credit, Ash," Dean said in an amused tone.

"And you give him too little. 200 years is a long time and he may have honed himself in a skill you're not aware of," she retorted.

"Don't worry, we'll post up guards like I said. If you keep an eye out here today, someone else will tonight," Sunny lifted her palm before they could continue. Dean sighed, clearly finding it all very unnecessary.

"We should go back to New Vegas…" he told Ash.

"I am not leaving until I am sure Bill won't go after this town," she said, making it clear there were no arguing that. Dean looked about to protest before he rolled his eyes.

"Sometimes your drive to finish things is annoying," he huffed.

"That's why you hired me, remember?"

"Do you two ever agree to anything?" Sunny asked amused. "It's kind of cute, the way you always go at each other's throats."

"We don't agree on much, no," Dean said before Ash could answer. "She's too uncivilized to understand."

"And he's too stubborn," Ash frowned, as Sunny laughed.

"Let's go eat before you go back to guard duty, Ash," she suggested. "Maybe some food will give your quarrel pause."

* * *

><p><strong>Felt some mere talking was needed now, so sorry if the chapter was a bit slow. :P<strong>

**The arrival of Skyrim took a lot of my attention the last days too, were of the delay. .**


	17. Pity

**I should probably take into account the fact that I try to make longer and more detailed posts these days, so updating frequently has pretty much gone out the window at the moment. No thanks to Skyrim either.**

* * *

><p>Since the day turned into night without any signs of attack, Ash was starting to believe that Dean was right. Maybe Bill wouldn't come to get his revenge. This was surprising on its own because from Ash's experience, most people craved revenge in the Mojave. She had insisted on keeping guard till midnight at least, despite Sunny's protests. Actually, Dean had protested too because it meant he would need to sit alone in the bar for the rest of the day, among the peasants. Sure, he had come out to join her for short moments, but for some reason he had left again, either back into the bar or the village itself.<p>

By now the darkness had crept back into the village, leaving few lights on so actually keeping guard was difficult without moving. Ash wasn't moving around though, as she was leaning against a white, half-broken wooden fence surrounding an old water tank near the bar. Getting some rest sounded like a good idea right about now, as much as she wanted to keep the village secure. She sometimes needed to get reminded that she wasn't a hard core soldier like Boone, but rather just a Courier. A Courier with some more experience than others maybe, but still. It was all she had intended to do really.

A figure walking towards her quickly got her attention but since they came from inside the village it was most likely her replacement. A man in his thirties was walking towards her, wearing a light leather armor that looked worn enough. He looked worn out in general with the unruly short, black hair and stubble. That appearance and general confident walk told her that he wasn't a mere farmer but to be honest she didn't know who it was. He hadn't been around when she had visited last.

"Good evening, lass," he said calmly, tilting up the hunting rifle he wore to his shoulder as he stopped near her.

"Evening," Ash replied, giving him a quick glance before focusing back out on the dark landscape in front of her. "You're here to replace me?"

"Yep. Don't really live here, but wouldn't say no to some action," he replied calmly, smirking amused. "Besides, the townspeople've been nice to me. Might as well repay the favor."

"That's kind of you." With that Ash pushed away from the fence, facing him now. "I haven't seen anything all day though, so you're probably in for a quiet night."

"Ah, ain't good that."

Ash arched an eyebrow, wondering what on earth would bring forth a comment like that. The man laughed nervously, probably picking up on her inquiry without her voicing it.

"I don't mean it like that," he continued suavely, running a hand through his hair. "Like I said, I don't mind some action. Shootin' a few dimwits sounds like good times to me. Go get your sleep, lass. Sunny told me you could need it."

"Right, I will," Ash replied slowly, not sure what to think about the man. He had a strange charm about him that she couldn't really ignore. Certainly the type she could have fallen for, but her mind nagged against it. Whether for the sake of suspicion or something else, she couldn't tell. She just knew that the quicker she got away from him, the better. Without further comment, she did so and headed towards the bar. She didn't want to intrude on Mitchell again for a place to sleep so one of the chairs in the bar would have to do.

As expected the bar was basically empty by now, although there were still a few lights lit on a table here and there. Even Sunny had gone to bed already it seemed, but then it was midnight. It was better to sleep while it was dark since the sun came up early in the Mojave, and most people knew this. What she hadn't expected was to spot Dean in one of the chairs, his back to her. What was even more surprising was that he was humming loudly enough for her to actually hear it for once, as he usually kept it very quiet. Even though she had heard him sing before it wasn't very often so she was still perplexed over how his voice could even hold a tone.

She didn't know for how long she had been standing there, until Dean threw a glance over his shoulder. Once he saw who it was he turned around in the chair a bit, putting his arm over it.

"How long have you been standing there?" he asked.

"Uh, not very long." She gave him a quick look before heading into the room, dropping down in another chair with a sigh. Dean returned to his comfortable position in the chair, lifting up the hand that held the cigarette though.

"Let me guess, you didn't see anything dangerous now either, did you?" he continued calmly.

"Not really. Hopefully my replacement won't either. Weird guy for that matter, never seen him here before," Ash muttered, as she flexed her feet. Standing around all day sure made a number on her feet and legs.

"It's a busy village, is it not?"

"Perhaps."

"I'm starting to think you need a vacation, Ash. You're getting paranoid."

"Guess I learned from the best," she smirked tiredly at him. Dean didn't look too impressed at the retort.

"Well, I was being serious, actually," he shrugged. "Or at least time to relax a little. Every time I see you now, you look all tensed up…"

"Concerned, are we?"

The ghoul frowned deeply now before he leant back into the chair, exhaling smoke from the cigarette.

"I needn't be concerned about you," he simply replied, as Ash gave him a near sour look. "I'd still listen to the advice, were I you though," he continued calmly.

"Unless you intend to sing me a lullaby, Dean, I'll just relax when I can, alright?"

"I just might." Ash looked up from her aching feet, staring at him now. He just rolled his eyes.

"It was a joke. But it sure got your attention, didn't it?" he sneered amused.

"Do you want me to tell you that you're a good singer?"

"Nah. I already know that." Ash grunted something under her breath, before leaning back in the chair.

"You actually intend on sleeping in the chair?" Dean asked surprised when she closed her eyes.

"Yes."

"You know, your robot friend's shack isn't perfect but it sure beats this."

"There's only one bed in there," Ash said, not even opening her eyes at the fact. The silence that followed was enough to make her open one though, as the silence in the room suddenly rose to near unbearable.

"Well, I suppose I could… sleep on the floor. Be a gentleman and all…" Dean finally said, looking unusually awkward. Now why the hell had he suggested doing that. Sleeping on the floor? Who wanted to do that voluntarily? It wasn't his problem whether Ash slept in an uncomfortable chair or not. That wasn't the worst bit either, for a short moment there he was about to argue that one bed didn't matter, as he didn't care for her in that matter anyway. The very notion of sharing a bed with her was suddenly making him feel very odd, with the lack of disdain for the idea. Something he usually had for most women, both before the bomb and afterwards, well once he got back to New Vegas. Not that the women there had thrown themselves over him really… ghouls weren't exactly appreciated after all.

The sudden sound of a shot going off outside was an almost thankful interruption for both parties, as Ash hadn't been sure what to think about his suggestion; surprise or awkwardness. She jumped up immediately, heading for the door to open it a little bit. The guy who had replaced her was running away from his position but not in a manner to flee from the scene. He was looking for cover it seemed. A cry of warning wasn't needed as the shooting was enough to wake up anyone in the vicinity.

"What happened?" she called out to the man since he had found cover near the bar, behind a few crates from Chet's store.

"Someone shot after me. Barely missed," he replied with his breath in his throat. Ash glanced back at Dean who was standing behind her by now, and he narrowed his eyes back at her.

"You can't be serious," he groaned afterwards, as she shut the door abruptly when another shot was heard. This one was aimed right at the door, throwing splinters to the floor as a hole appeared in the door.

"I think they are," Ash muttered, before someone started banging on the back door to the bar. It didn't take many seconds before the banging was replaced with the sounds of an axe cutting through wood repeatedly. Ash pulled up the shotgun she still carried, quickly heading over to the corner where she could watch the door. Through the torn apart wood planks she could see a darkly dressed man holding the axe, but in the faint light she couldn't see if it was an inhabitant or one of the attackers. So she had no choice but to let him chop through the door before he could finally get through, clutching the axe firmly in his hands. By now Ash recognized the mercenary armor and rounded the corner, aiming the shotgun right at his chest. The look in the man's face as he realized how screwed he was, was priceless as she let the shot go off. The impact literally sent him flying back out the hole he had made in the door, lying lifeless outside it afterwards.

Ash rushed back inside the main room, grabbing Dean who was still standing there, dealing with his disbeliefs or just shocked. Whatever he was thinking about, he got abruptly interrupted by her suddenly yanking at him.

"It's not safe here, come on," she said, as she pushed the remains of the backdoor open, peering outside first before stepping outside, making sure Dean was behind her. Chaos had struck Goodsprings now, as people were screaming left and right. Despite being a sleepy little place, it didn't mean the inhabitants would just lie down as soon as an attack happened. And unlike the last raid she remembered on Goodsprings, this time they had an advantage, judging by the missile launcher she already heard in use by Victor somewhere in the other end of the village.

"Look, I'm fairly sure it's Bill's gang," she told Dean as they were standing against the wall of the building. "Which means it's most likely us he's after. Although he'll probably kill anyone he can to get to us."  
>"Well, hopefully that'll take a while," Dean said drily though he gasped as she suddenly slammed her free hand over his chest.<p>

"They're my friends!" she told him sharply. "I won't let them all die because of us!" Dean huffed something under his breath, when Ash's replacement suddenly ran up to them, leaning against the same wall they were.

"That robot sure is handy…" he commented with a faint chuckle as he looked at Ash quickly. "Maybe I should be careful what I wish for; it seems they tend to become true." She managed a halfhearted chuckle at his words, deciding that the man wasn't too strange, just an adventurer with an eagerness for combat. They did exist out there, after all. She stopped chuckling when she realized Dean was looking at her with a disapproving frown, before he narrowed his eyes at the new arrival.

From behind Chet's store, another figure appeared, the dog by her side making it obvious who she was, so none even lifted their weapon towards her. Sunny stopped by them, breathing heavily after the run, before she gathered herself enough to speak.

"So we got attacked anyway?" she sighed. "Those bastards are dumber than I thought."

"See, I wasn't the only one not expecting this…" Dean said drily.

"It doesn't matter. We need to deal with them. Victor can't do all on his own," Ash frowned. "We need a plan."

"I'd say flank them," the man said. "Most likely they wouldn't expect an attack from behind while Victor is keepin' them distracted from the front."

"Should have known you already had a plan in mind, Angryl," Sunny smiled at the man who shrugged.

"It's in my blood, lass," he winked back.

"Obviously," Dean said drily.

"Alright, so I'll sneak behind them from the west side," Angryl continued, as if Dean hadn't said anything. "Someone needs to stay here to draw their fire and another to flank them from the east side."

"I'll stay here," Sunny said. "I got the better long ranged weapon after all," she continued nodding towards Ash, who gave her shotgun a look.

"Okay, so I'll take the east side," she said calmly. "Sunny, will you keep an eye on Dean?"

"As if I need an eye on me!" he protested, as Angryl chuckled.

"Sorry, but I heard you're not the fighting type," he said. "You're better off here where you won't get anyone killed, I think."

"Oh. Of course, you're right," Dean said, seemingly calmly but Ash knew the façade. Five minutes and Angryl had already earned Dean's unpleasant ire. Angryl hadn't noticed naturally and who could blame him, Dean knew how to mask his annoyance well if he had to. A few moments later Angryl nodded to the rest before walking off behind the corner of the building, towards the darkness where the village's few lights didn't reach.

"Be careful," Ash said to Sunny who nodded back. Ash gave Dean a look as well, without saying anything though before she moved around Chet's store, making use of the same darkness as Angryl. Sunny mostly kept her eyes on the street outside the buildings were random shots hit the ground now and then, creating small dust clouds, but she already glanced once at Dean.

"Don't worry, she'll be fine," she said, barely hiding her amusement, as Dean had been looking more concerned than he probably wanted to.

"I'm not worried," he said, glaring back at her.

"Of course not. You're only staring after her like that because you don't care at all." Dean wanted to tell the woman to shut up, but he couldn't really muster the energy to do so right now.

It didn't feel right for Ash either to leave Dean with Sunny. Not because she didn't trust the woman, she did, with her own life too. She just didn't feel good with leaving him to someone else. Partly because she was afraid that Dean would make even an ally shoot him but also because, well… she enjoyed looking after him, despite finding it difficult sometimes. It was _her_ job; it was _her_that he was depending on for protection in straight out combat. Realizing what an unusual hostile path her mind was going towards, she quickly tried to force her focus away from it and back to the task at hand.

Unlike Angryl she would need to round the whole village's backside, to reach the western side of the attackers and even if it wouldn't take more than a few minutes, it felt like forever. While she was running she saw several of the inhabitants shooting back at the attackers from around corners and over crates. She even spotted Victor's metal figure rolling around along the roads, shooting missiles whenever he saw fit. He was most likely saving ammo by now, since he wasn't shooting as rapidly as he had before and as long as he had said ammo, he could at least keep them at bay. Once he was out though things would probably get ugly. But if it now was Bill's gang, they wouldn't be that many and at least one was down for the count already.

Unfortunately for Ash she wasn't the only one with the idea of moving through the darkness behind the buildings. As she closed up to the small, abandoned schoolhouse of the village, a shot from a weapon splintered the wood off the corner she had just passed. The sudden noise and sprayed pieces and dust forced her to duck behind the school, before she pushed opened the backdoor to it to head inside it. She had to catch her breath, as well as take a second to relax from almost being shot. But she quickly realized that wasn't her only problem, as the front door to the school suddenly flung open. By the time she had lifted the shotgun, a familiar ghoul already stood with a similar but much shorter weapon aimed at her.

"Oh, who would have known it were you of all people. Fucking Splendid," Bill grinned coolly at her, looking cockier than he had before. "Also, I wouldn't shoot were I you," he continued, raising his free hand to wave his index finger in warning.

"Give me a reason not to," Ash hissed.

"Easy. As soon as my… sniper hears a shot from this building, he'll shoot someone. And trust me, he has good aim."

"Risky plan. You assume I care," Ash bluffed stone coldly. "Besides, you'd just shoot them anyway. At least I'd rid the world of your rotting being."

"Perhaps, but I'd rid the world of another 'rotting being' in the process too," Bill sneered. "Not too many of them in this village, am I right?" Ash narrowed her eyes at him, lifting her other hand to secure the grip on the shotgun.

"Shoot him and I swear, I'll rip the eyes out of your sockets while you're still breathing," she growled at him. Bill threw his head up to laugh, before using his free hand to rub his eyebrows.

"This is just fucking priceless! You like him, don't you?" he said afterwards, looking thoroughly amused. "Just how much, huh? You're one of those ghoul lovers? I mean, I may be one myself but I'd never want to fuck one of my own kind. I'd rather stick to pretty smooth skins. Now be a good girl and drop your weapon. Maybe we can engulf in that fucked up interest of yours, heh."

Ash was too busy being angry to really shudder in disgust at his proposal. Everything about him just screamed wrong in every way possible and it wasn't because he was a ghoul. He was just a generally disturbing, slimy asshole that she didn't want to get closer to in any aspect.

"Maybe you should spend less time trying to provoke your target and more time on creating actually working plans," she frowned at him. "How is your sniper supposed to hear the difference on which gun is being fired? Yours or mine?"

"Does it matter? I don't care shit about Dean, that's your problem. Cooperate and he'll live. Don't and he'll die. It's really quite simple." Ash frowned further, weighing her odds. She had no intention of cooperating with this dirt bag but if he was telling the truth… the thought of Dean dying to her stubbornness was difficult to think about. She only had one chance in this and that was to assume that Bill was as dumb as he looked.

"Alright," she hissed annoyed, as she tilted the shotgun upwards. "I'll play your game. Just… don't harm him," she continued.

"We'll see. Drop your weapon already and kick it over to me," Bill said impatiently, gesturing for her to move it. Ash obeyed, keeping her hands in the air afterwards. He circled his finger this time, gesturing for her to turn around which she did, listening intently after his footsteps which followed as soon as she had. She winced as she felt the shotgun pressing to her head, but it was nothing compared to the arm coming to rest around her waist.

"Hell, why wait," he grinned to her hair, inhaling the scent of it. "I get a pretty smooth skin and you get a ghoul. It's a win-win situation." As expected, Bill was fairly sure he had her where he wanted her, unable to act in order to save her friend. "Maybe I should fire a shot anyway," he continued, chuckling amused at his change of mind. "Dean's worthless to me and you were stupid enough to surrender your only weapon to me." Just as he moved the shotgun away from her head to fire off a shot into the floor, Ash yanked backwards with her arm grabbing his wrist before he could proceed further with the gun. While she wouldn't have stood a chance against a human male, ghouls had one weakness in regards of their quick healing. Their strength was lacking and manageable even for someone like her. The fact that Bill was a coward in general only worked in her favor. The sudden pressure of her fingers clutching hard around his wrist, nails digging into his bare muscles, was enough to force him to drop the shotgun which luckily fell to the floor without a hitch.

Now that the immediate threat was over, Ash turned around fully, using her free hand to punch him straight in the face. The ghoul staggered backwards, startled at the sudden turn of events but surprisingly enough he gathered himself quickly, already throwing himself after the dropped shotgun. This just put his head in the level of Ash's feet and she wasn't late with sending him flying over to his back with a well-aimed kick to the face. Now she had plenty of time to grab both shotguns, as she walked over to Bill who was groaning on the floor, clutching his bleeding face.

"You're pathetic," she snarled at him, having to restrain herself from shooting him. "That you survived the past 200 years is beyond my understanding. The only thing keeping you alive right now is your own failed trap."

She moved forward further, before kicking him in the crotch just for good measure, actually enjoying seeing him crawl into a fetal position. Now she could bend down, pressing one of the shotguns firmly to his head.

"Trust me; you won't be alive through the night. But consider this a breather for now," she continued quietly, before turning the weapon around, slamming the handle to his temple. The impact was enough to draw blood and his body relaxed, either due to unconsciousness or death. She didn't care which but it'd be the first time she had managed to kill someone with a simple blow like that. As much as she wanted him dead right now, she couldn't bring herself to beating his head into a messy pulp. Besides, she had to go and find that sniper in case he was telling the truth.

Carrying the two shotguns with her, she left the building through the backdoor again to continue along the edge of the village, protected by the darkness. Now that she was away from the light sources it became even more difficult to see where she was going. The attackers had an advantage there; they should see the shadows from those in the village while they were basically hidden themselves. So she slowed down, trying to listen intently to hear someone. Meanwhile she had no option but to continue forward. Someone shooting ahead caught her attention as the light from the gun's barrel gave away enough of the man's location. She rushed forward before he could determine where the footsteps came from, slamming one of the shotguns onto his shoulder as he turned around to finally face her.

The man carried no sniper but an ordinary rifle instead, which didn't help him in close quarters like this. Ash used her weight and surprise to pin him to the ground suddenly, pushing Bill's shotgun to his chest.

"Where's your sniper?" she demanded, pressing the gun further to his skin.

"Fuck you!" the man snapped at her, so she changed the location of the shotgun, pressing it to his chin instead.

"Tell me or I'll blow your brains out!" Ash hissed furiously. "Is your sorry excuse for a boss really worth dying for?" The young man, bald and without any real show of experience in his face looked thoughtful, before groaning.

"I don't know, he's somewhere south of the village, left of me. Perched on a rock." The information wasn't the most useful ever, but it was all she had to go on for now. Instead of shooting him, she hit him in the head with the shotgun instead, before running back where she had come from, which had been the south part of the village.

In a way she was lucky because the sniper had apparently spotted her, since a shot went off by her feet. Since she had been running she had been harder to hit but question was how long that'd last. Unfortunately for the sniper, him shooting also revealed his location. Ash ducked behind a rock, before moving alongside the cliffs that surrounded the south side, until she was fairly sure she was near him. She could hear someone shuffling about on top of a large rock nearby, until they got silent again.

The man was lying down on his back, aiming with the sniper rifle somewhere in front of him, probably looking for her. He was not like the other guy though, as the moment that Ash got up on the rock, he turned around quickly, turning the sniper around in his hands to slam it after her.

"Think you can sneak up on me, huh!" he told her sharply, wincing though as she charged forward again, using the fact he had stopped to talk. The sniper was useless in close combat and before he could really react he already had a shotgun aimed at him.

"Drop it," Ash ordered, as the man smiled coolly.

"Where's Bill? I saw him enter the school house along with you," he retorted.

"Dead," she lied, gesturing impatiently with the weapon in her hand.

"Really? Pity. Well my orders are clear then."

He moved to the side quickly, forcing her to shoot after him. Too late she realized the mistake of firing such a slow weapon, and by the time she started to move, he had already grabbed her waist, forcing her down on the rough cliff surface below. Once she was down, he backhanded her with such force that her head started ringing, putting her out of action for the moment. As she turned to the side, trying to get her bearings right, he kneeled down towards the town, taking aim with the sniper again towards the buildings. It didn't really matter who he was aiming for, but she had a horrible feeling it wasn't some random anyone. Bill was a coward, yes, but he was apparently more of an asshole than coward if he had ordered his men to take down Dean no matter what.

Forcing herself up, she reached down for her boots, pulling out a smaller knife from one of them before lunging right at the man in front of her. Almost frantically she stabbed the knife down to the hilt, right into his shoulder, but he had already managed to fire off a shot. A shot she couldn't tell if it went into town or somewhere else since she had stabbed him at that very instant.

But in case he had hit his target, she pulled the knife back out while grabbing his hair with her free hand, forcing his head back before slitting his throat. She was already reaching for the weapon in his hands as she dropped him to the ground, ignoring the soft gurgle of blood gushing out the open wound. Once she looked down the sights of the weapon she realized it actually supported night vision, making her more worried, as she looked towards the bar. She couldn't see anyone there, nor could she find anyone else lying on the ground in the lit areas of the village. Perhaps he had missed after all.

She allowed herself to relax for a few moments, before recalling that people were still shooting. However now she had a proper weapon that she knew in her hands, so she quickly took aim towards her right side, where the rest of the attackers were hiding. As expected most of them were lurking behind the rocks and cliffs. She also spotted two of them lying motionless on the ground furthest off, indicating that Angryl had been successful on his side of the plan. Pumped on adrenaline, she turned her attention to the rest of the attackers. Even if Bill survived her hit, she'd at least make sure that he wouldn't have any help to call on, once he woke up.

Shot after shot echoed in the area, until she was certain that no more attackers stood up, from what she could see anyway. Angryl would have to check the corpses out himself. Reckless killing wasn't her thing, but people's lives were at stake. And she wanted to make a point that you did _not_ threaten people she cared about and expected to get away with it. No matter how many murders she had to commit to get the point through. Besides, she couldn't honestly say she hadn't enjoyed watching those bastards fall to their knees and backs.

Now that the immediate threat was over, she felt how tired she was and just how much strength she had wasted on anger and concern, not to say the physical strain. How much Bill had disgusted her and how worried she had been over Dean. It was enough to make her want to collapse on the ground where she was, which of course, was foolish.

Gritting her teeth, she forced herself to get back down on proper ground, carrying the sniper rifle and one of the shotguns, making her way back to the village. She passed by the school house, giving it a rather dismal look. She had no wish to get back in there but a quick look through the door told her that Bill was lying where she had left him. As she continued towards the bar, she paused by Victor and two inhabitants who looked at her as if she had been walking through a bloodbath.

"The attackers seemed to have given up on their fire," Victor was the first to speak up.

"I think most of them are dead. Or scared off enough to give up their attack," Ash said.

"Clever folks."

"Their leader is in the school house, either dead or knocked out," she explained tiredly, pointing towards the red building with one of the weapons. "I'm too… tired to carry him myself."

"I'll get him, partner," Victor said calmly. "Where do you want him?"

"I don't know. I guess Trudy or Sunny wants a chat with him. They can decide his fate," Ash shrugged, not really caring as long as she didn't have to see his ugly face again.

"Alright," Victor continued before rolling past her, followed by the two armed peasants. Ash looked after briefly before continuing towards the bar and store but much to her surprised she couldn't find neither Dean nor Sunny where she had left them. Perhaps the location had become too dangerous, but she quickly abandoned that thought when she noticed the large speck of blood on the store wall.

She could literally feel all the color leave her face, as she turned around abruptly, trying to spot either of them. Instead she noticed the trail of blood leading up to the doctor's house. Dropping the weapons on the ground, she ran up to the door, nearly slamming through it and startling everyone on the other side. Well, all three… or two. Sunny and Mitchell were both staring at her entrance, holding a rather slumped together Dean between them. It was obvious he was unconscious as he wouldn't have found himself in a situation like that normally. The blood dripping to the wooden floor from him made it painfully obvious that she had failed and Bill had succeeded.

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><p><strong>Thanks for your patience and interest!<strong>


	18. I'm not leaving

**First of all, I want to thank the reviewers I can't answer (As far as I'm concerned, it's impossible to reply to unsigned reviews and I make a point to reply to everyone).**

**I hope this chapter will be enjoyable, because I had to rewrite a lot of it, so I hope nothing got lost or messed up.**

* * *

><p>Ash lost count of how many seconds she stared at the scene she had stumbled right into, until her legs finally worked, forcing her forward. Mitchell and Sunny were already half-carrying, half-dragging Dean into the doctor's room where he kept all the tools and other medical equipment. Ash finally reached them, helping them drag Dean up on one of the beds for Mitchell to inspect the injury.<p>

"Shit, Ash… I, I'm so sorry. They must have had a sniper or something…" Sunny grimaced as she looked at Ash, obviously feeling both concerned and guilty. "We were moving to a safer location when he was suddenly shot right into the wall."

"Good grief, girl, giving her the details won't make it better," Mitchell huffed, pushing aside Dean's clothes to reveal the deep, blood- red spot at the upper right side of his chest.

"You can fix him, can't you?" Ash asked almost with her breath stuck in her throat; she hadn't really heard Sunny because she already knew what had happened. "You fixed my head, this is nothing!"

"It's still a deep wound in a fatal area…" the older man frowned at her. "But the fact he's a ghoul helps. They're kind of sturdy… in a way."

"And you're calling me unsubtle…" Sunny frowned, as she grabbed Ash's shoulder. "Let him work on it, we shouldn't be in the way."

"I'm not leaving," Ash replied flatly, brushing away her hand, still looking too pale for her own good. "You're probably needed outside, Sunny. There might be a few attackers left and Victor should have their leader by now," she continued in the same hollow tone, without looking at the other woman.

"Ah… I see," Sunny said slowly, nodding a bit unsurely. The golden-haired woman almost slipped out of the room, as Mitchell glanced up at Ash briefly, an eyebrow arched. He decided against asking though; time was a bit of an essence and he needed his full attention on the ghoul.

"Alright, I'm going to need your help with this," he said afterwards, as he gave her a thick piece of cloth, before gesturing towards the literally bleeding hole in Dean's chest. "Press it against the wound firmly; he can't really afford to lose any more blood." Ash obeyed, greatly disturbed by how expressionless and cold Dean's face was. It was just… unnatural for him. She moved her gaze to the nearest window as she pressed to the wound, while listening to Mitchell move metal trays about, until he settled next to Dean's side, pushing aside her hand and the cloth.

"It's just one bullet, right?" Ash asked, still averting her gaze. She could deal with her own wounds just fine, even other people. But watching a bullet driven right into Dean's chest? She couldn't stand the thought, let alone the sight. Mitchell was busy poking around in the wound with a pair of tweezers, carefully inspecting the sore flesh.

"Looks like it," he replied, digging the tweezers into the wound, before he slowly pulled out a rather large bullet, dropping it soundly to the metal tray next to him. Ash looked over at it, wincing, before allowing herself a loud exhalation. Until she looked back at the wound. Blood was gushing out now, especially since Mitchell was disturbing the wound with the tweezers. She didn't even know what he was doing now, nor did she care to know. Not until Dean _twitched_ did she really 'wake' up, giving him a horrified look.

"Hm… he was deeply unconscious but maybe he needs a med-x anyway," Mitchell said in a way calmer state than her, as he pointed to the shelf behind her. She moved over there quickly, not really waiting for an affirmation as she stabbed the med-x into Dean's thigh.

"You started operating on him without any pain killers?" she asked Mitchell almost sharply, as she leant to the bed with her hands, trying to slow down her heart.

"Like I said, he was already down," the doctor replied without looking at her. "I was going to give him one soon, but I thought stopping the bleeding was a bit more urgent," he added with a somewhat drier voice. "Let me do my job, will you?"

"I know, I know… I'm just-"

"Worried. I know. It's pretty obvious." Mitchell was working with a needle and thread by now, sewing together something inside the wound, before he used more cloth and a liquid from a bottle Ash didn't know what it contained, to clean up the wound. And by now she didn't want to question Mitchell further, if it distracted him. At least most of the blood was gone by now, leaving Mitchell with sewing together the actual skin, or rather the exposed muscle since that part of Dean's chest didn't have any remaining skin left. He poured more of the liquid over the now closed together wound, before putting several fresh pieces of cloth over it, gesturing for Ash to press her hand to it again.

"Well?" she asked a bit impatiently, watching Mitchell as he managed to pull off Dean's open shirt and trench coat after some struggling, since the man was lying on half the clothes.

"Well…" the bald man repeated, as he fetched a few rolls of bandages before proceeding to basically wrap Dean's entire chest in them. "Had he been human I would have said "I don't know," he continued, as he straightened his back, giving the bandage a look. "But he's not. Don't worry, Ash, the odds of him _not_surviving that shot are slim. I'd bet anything he's already regenerating."

He poured water on his hands from a bottle, before casually drying them off on his trousers.

"I swear, Ash, you're more worried about this than you were about getting shot," he smirked, folding his arms across his chest.

"I was luckily enough unconscious for that," she replied a bit tersely.

"Afterwards. You took it well."

"So I did." She looked back down at Dean, shaking her head. "That was different. If I make mistakes, I should pay the price, not others."

"I don't know much about what actually occurred out there, but I am sure you did your best. You, child, really need to stop being so hard on yourself," Mitchell rolled his eyes. "Unless you were the one who shot him, drop it and get some rest. There's not much else we can do for him until he wakes up."

"I'll stay for a while, I think, before joining up with the others."

"By all rights they should be heading to sleep now," Mitchell huffed as he glanced outside the dirty windows. "It's still night."

"Perhaps."

The doctor sighed, either too tired to try and talk her into sleeping, or then he just knew better. The moment after he turned and left, Ash's eyes in his back. Once he had left the room, she looked over at Dean's bandaged chest, before shifting her gaze to his face. She still couldn't get over how strange it was to see him so relaxed and… vulnerable, although she assumed he always looked like this when asleep. She just hadn't watched him do so before.

He probably didn't deserve the guilt she had now, but she couldn't help it. Seeing him getting shot had been horrifying and it had been… years ago she had last been that terrified. Almost unconsciously she reached out to his face, touching the rough skin above his eyes. Bill's words momentarily came back in her mind, making her flinch as she withdrew her hand quickly. This affection was ever bit wrong as well as strange, both combined with curiosity. Bill's words were quickly replaced by a flashing image of Dean grinning as human from the posters, convincing her more than ever that ghoul or human didn't matter. Behind that rough skin, ghouls had a heart and mind just like humans.

"Shit," she muttered suddenly, folding her arms across her chest in a near stubborn matter.

She was getting in too deep, she realized it now. Her upbringing told her it was wrong to grow… attached to ghouls; because people said it was wrong. Mostly because how could you see anything else but a rotting corpse? But they were so very wrong. There was so much more. Perhaps Dean wasn't the best saint in the world, but that wasn't what she wanted. Perhaps they weren't equals, in several ways. Dean was born in a completely different time and in many ways differed from her. He was no fighter or an adventurer. Yet she looked up to him, admired him, enjoyed his company, argued with him when he was an asshole. The fact she had managed to tap into a part of his real personality made her almost ridiculously proud.

Dean himself would most likely laugh at all the thoughts she had, and especially the confusion. There was no chance in hell that he could see anything of these things in her, even if she had the advantage with still looking human. And much to her annoyance, this saddened her.

Snorting, she stepped away from the sickbed, knowing that Mitchell would keep an eye on Dean. As much as she wanted to stay until he woke up, her currents thoughts were too distracting. She trusted Mitchell's judgment and, if he said the man would be fine, he would be. In the meantime she could at least gather up her thoughts so she wouldn't look like a confused idiot the next time she saw him.

Looking just as tense as before she went outside the house, spotting Sunny with Victor and Angryl further down by Chet's store. She approached them, no doubt alerting them to her presence with her heavy steps.

"Hey, lass!" Angryl called to her. "I heard you took down a lot of those sorry bastards. Nice shootin'."

"Not to say captured their leader," Victor pointed out. "Certainly impressive, partner."

"Normally I'd agree, but people still got shot," Ash said, using the more neutral term on purpose.

"Is he going to be alright?" Sunny asked, almost casually.

"Ah, the ghoul, yeah. Hmph, it's a ghoul. Don't they heal on their own?"

"They can still be killed," Ash frowned at him, annoyed with his lack of care. Not unexpected really. Angryl looked puzzled for a moment, as if not expecting her reaction either.

"But he'll live, yes," Ash continued.

"Well, good to hear he'll be fine," Angryl changed his tone afterwards, looking more serious as well.

"Right. Where's Bill?" Ash asked.

"He's in the old gas station," Sunny explained, pointing with her thumbs up along the road. "Tied and guarded, don't worry."

"I don't think you'll need to worry much about him. He's too much of a coward to try any escapes."

"What do you say we pay him a visit, lass?" Angryl grinned.

Ash looked up towards the green gas station, pondering the option. As much as she'd like to follow his suggestion and give Bill a fair share of her thoughts about him, she wasn't sure she wanted to face him now. His advances, as limited as they had been, still disturbed her a bit. She didn't want him to sow any more self-doubt or concerns in her.

"No," she told Angryl. "Better let him sit there in silence. It's a good way to provoke more fear, let them wait. Granted, it is not my decision. But I will not talk to him today."

"No, you should go sleep," Sunny sighed.

"Easier said than done."

"I'm sure Victor can offer you to sleep in his place."

"Certainly. I'll make sure none enters the shack, partner," the robot said in response.

"It's nice of you, Victor, but I can probably crash at Mitchell's place," Ash sighed, hoping she wouldn't need to explain why. "I wouldn't get any sleep anyway and the town needs you patrolling now."

"Alright. I'll keep an eye on the perimeters then," he agreed. "But you'd better be getting some sleep."

"Yes, yes."

The robot rolled away, his screen light soon the only thing visible as he continued into the darkness. Sunny and Angryl gave each other a quick look before the latter cleared his throat.

"Well, I'll also return to my guard duty," he said afterwards. "Just in case Bill's friends decide to come rescue him." He tilted his head to both women before walking off as well, leaving Sunny to look at Ash almost worriedly.

"You said Dean would be alright. Yet, you look so haunted," she commented, as Ash blinked.

"Long day, that's all," she replied before looking thoughtful. Sunny was being casual for a reason, she realized. "I'm… sorry I sounded brash earlier. It just became too much."

The other woman waved it off, almost amused, or relieved, Ash couldn't tell what.

"Don't worry about that. You were concerned for your friend," she said.

"Yeah but… I didn't mean to make it sound like it was your fault. It wasn't. Bill had a sniper trained on Dean the whole time," Ash grunted annoyed. Sunny arched an eyebrow at the really venomous tone that Ash said Bill's name in.

"I see," she nodded. "Well, couldn't have been a very good sniper then, since he didn't kill him. Luckily."

Ash pondered the words for a moment, considering the only thing stopping it from having been a fatal shot, was her interruption. Whether she had failed or not, she had probably still saved his life. Feeling almost awkward about that now, she casually rubbed her right arm before sighing.

"I… need to go back," she said, searching for further words on explaining it.

"Probably," Sunny smirked. "I'll have to go talk to Trudy; she wants to know what exactly happened. I'll talk to you later, Ash. And seriously, don't worry. Else I'm afraid Mitchell will have to operate on your head again."

Ash smirked at that notion, bidding the woman goodnight before walking back into the doctor's house. As expected he was checking up on Dean when she entered the room and much to her relief, he looked calm still.

"Can I stay here for the night? Just in case," she asked, making the man look up before he rolled his eyes.

"Fine, fine. Just promise me you'll rest somehow. He's not running anywhere," he said, pointing down at Dean, before taking the moment to lower the bench in case Dean would wake up during the night. "You can take the couch in the living room, that way you're right next door in case something would happen. Which it wouldn't mind you." He moved about in the room, before returning to hand her a blanket and then literally ushering her into the living room.

"Goodnight, young lady," he continued, as he went to his own bedroom, leaving Ash standing there with a blanket in her hands.

* * *

><p>The sound of a metal tray falling to the floor was the rather abrupt thing that woke Ash up, the next morning apparently, considering the sharp sunlight peering through the windows. Confused, she looked about from the couch, the blanket almost lying all the way over her head. It took a few more moments for her to realize where the sounds were coming from. The blanket was almost thrown across the room as she got up on her feet in a hurry, stopping just as fast in the doorway to the medical room.<p>

"Ugh, feels like I got stuck in a blasted bear trap again…" Dean's voice reached her ears, even if it sounded more coarse than usual. He was on his way to sit up on the gangly bench, which had resulted in him tipping over the tray from yesterday, right onto the floor. He had barely noticed Ash before she had embraced him, arms around his neck, and it was most likely thanks to the surprise that he hadn't shoved her off yet. Dean wasn't even sure how to react to her clinging to him like that, blinking confused over her black hair and he certainly wasn't sure as to why he let her continue doing so. He was no stranger to a woman's touch, but after 200 years it was… a bit awkward to remember said touch.

Luckily Ash gathered her wits before he could say anything, pulling back to give his bandage a look as if she was afraid she had put too much pressure on it in her joy of seeing him awake again.

"Sorry… despite Mitchell's reassurance, I just wasn't sure you'd wake up again," she explained, clearing her throat now, as she sat down properly next to him.

"Hmph. Why wouldn't I wake up again?" Dean grunted, as he ran his hands across his still bare chest, even if almost all of it was covered in white cloth. He stopped once he had traced the actual wound, narrowing his eyes a bit as he applied pressure to it. Once he had established he actually _had_ been shot and the wound _did_ hurt, he removed his hands immediately, grimacing a bit.

"I see," he said, understanding her point now. "That bad?"

"Well, you were unconscious when I came back. A sniper shot you."

"Clearly a poor one…" he commented.

"They were all quite… poor. I was fighting the sniper because… well, anyway, by the time I managed to get a stab on his shoulder he had already fired off a shot. Used the sniper rifle afterwards to deal with a few others. The attack stopped after that, so I'm not sure where the others went."

Dean scratched his chin thoughtfully, looking at her the same way.

"So, I got you to thank for still having my head?" he asked casually.

"Well… no, not really. Had I been faster you wouldn't have been shot at all. Bill's… more tricky than I thought."

"So it was Bill attacking? How foolish… but saying Bill is tricky? You sure you weren't shot in the head again?"

"He… found me in one of the buildings on the way. He had a pretty good idea that forced me to abandon my weapon. Unfortunately for him he didn't know that I can inflict some pain close up too. Either way, he told me he had a sniper trained on you."

"So you hurried to get to that sniper before I was shot? That's… admirable. But not surprising," he smirked amused, as Ash scoffed halfheartedly, looking down to the floor now.

"Well, I suppose a thank you is in order. Always fun to see when someone's concerned about you."

"I didn't say… Oh, never mind. I am not even going to bother," she simply said, lifting her hands.

"No need, it is quite obvious, my dear."

They both fell in silence, as Dean flexed his shoulder, determined to see how bad the damage was. He was no stranger to injuries, but that didn't mean he enjoyed them. It was hurting though, and he really hoped the doctor here had more med-x, else he would certainly show how upsetting that'd be. Getting shot… he sure hadn't expected that out here. He noticed Ash was looking at him, smirking now.

"What?" he asked, almost tersely, as he had a hard time ignoring the pain in his chest now.

"Bear trap, Dean?" She asked amused, not missing him narrowing his eyes.

"Yes… one of my first mistakes in the Sierra Madre," he explained almost reluctantly. "It's an… interesting story. For another day."

"Fine. You can fetch a new med-x yourself then."

"What makes you think I need one? I happen to tolerate pain well. Besides, if I wanted you to get one I wouldn't need to bribe you with a story."

"No?"

"I got other ways to persuade you."

"Such as?"

"Not in the mood." Ash arched an eyebrow, noting that Dean did seem to be in pain, even if he wouldn't admit it. He certainly had the cranky mood to prove it if nothing else. She opened her mouth to protest when he leaned down to her head, taking advantage of the fact she was sitting next to him.

"Don't… tempt… me," he said quietly into her ear and despite the fact it was probably supposed to be a jest, he sounded annoyed enough to mean it too. Ash casually leaned further away, not realizing she had been holding her breath until she felt the actual need to breathe a few long moments after, as Dean straightened his back again, keeping an eye on her for her reaction. To her he'd look annoyed, but the truth was, he was a bit amused at her sudden silence. He needed to stop with the jokes though, for some reason he was aware of her presence in a different way than before.

"Erhm… we captured Bill," she said instead, causing Dean to arch an eyebrow at her.

"Captured him? That's an… interesting term. I'm surprised he isn't dead by now."

"So am I. But I thought maybe you wanted to speak to him before he's killed."

"Hm. Interesting proposal. Maybe I should, if just to gloat in return for shooting me…"

"Yes, that would sound like you…"

"But what makes you so sure he'll be killed? Yes, he attacked the town, but I don't think anyone here is the type to kill someone who's… captured." Ash frowned briefly; he had a point there. She didn't know what Goodsprings did with attackers like this but it most likely wasn't killing them.

"I hope someone will. He's a… twat at the lack of a better word," she frowned. Dean grinned briefly, before shaking his head.

"I'm not sure what's more surprising, you using a British word, or you wanting someone dead. I'd say the latter, because you'd learn something useful from me sooner or later."

"You can't tell me you prefer Bill alive, can you?"

"No, not really. He shot me! I don't really… care much for people who have tried to kill me. I think I made that clear the first time we met too."

Ash laughed quietly at that memory, standing up from the bench.

"How could I forget?" she sighed, as she wandered off towards one of the shelves in the room that had small boxes stacked up on them. As expected one of them contained several med-x and she returned with one, handing it to Dean without comment and he was smart, or in too much pain, to not comment either. He eyed it casually, before inserting it into his right upper arm, flexing said arm afterwards. When he looked back up, Ash was still watching him but she jumped into action quickly, turning around to show the folded clothes of his. Dean lifted the white shirt from the pile, frowning at the blood stain.

"I can't wear that," he stated, putting it down again.

"We should probably wash it out first. I'm sure Mitchell has something for you to borrow here."

"Agh. I doubt it."

"Well, wear the coat alone then. Probably better to let the wound… breathe anyway."

"Or you just want to see me shirtless." Ash glared at him, before tossing the clothes in his face.

"I'll look for a shirt," she said coolly, as she turned to leave for another room. Dean looked after her, keeping the clothes in his lap now, chuckling silently to himself before standing up as well a bit gingerly.

Ash hadn't really expected to bump into Mitchell in the corridor outside, as she did her best to remove her still embarrassed frown.

"Patient's awake, I guess?" the man asked amused, as Ash glared at him too.

"Yes. And in his usual mood," she said. "Do you have a spare shirt somewhere?"

"A good one," Dean chimed in behind her, with one hand over his head. "I could need a smoke too…"

"Don't expect me to help you with that," Mitchell frowned at the last comment before he nodded to Ash. "I got a few I think will do. But… are you going somewhere?"

"Just to go and have a chat with one of the attackers. I'll bring him right back here afterwards."

Mitchell scoffed something under his breath, leaving them to head into his bedroom again. He returned quickly again, carrying a dark brown shirt with him. He showed it to Dean, with a somewhat unimpressed look.

"Does this qualify, your majesty?" he asked drily and Ash sighed. She probably needed to warn Mitchell to not be too amused with Dean, since the later probably had no humor with ordinary 'peasants'. Dean arched an eyebrow to Mitchell, grabbing the shirt from his hands.

"Yes," he said coolly. "Not really my color though…"

"You know, when I saw the posters, this is pretty much how I imagined you," the doctor rolled his eyes, as Ash quickly stifled a laughter.

"Well. I guess you know people then," she said airily, giving Dean an amused nudge, to which he replied with a slight frown. "Put the shirt on and let's go."

Dean wandered back into the other room, putting on the shirt and buttoning it before grabbing the glasses from his stained white shirt.

"I'll dip your shirt in a bucket of water. Won't remove the stain but it'll be cleaner," Mitchell said just as they left the house.

"Thanks," Ash called to him, as Dean put on the glasses, having blinked towards the sun. Despite the glasses, the sunlight was as sharp as ever and almost a bit surprising. When he had got shot, there hadn't been much time for reactions beyond the notion that everything had grown black within seconds. He just hadn't expected to see the sun again. Funny considering he hadn't seen much of the sun, if any at all, in his time in the Sierra Madre. One got used to things quickly…

He barely noted that they stopped in front of a gas station, printed with old war posters and paint. A brown haired man stood outside the door, wearing leather armor and looking a bit bored although he straightened his back at their approach.

"We'd like to talk to Bill," Ash said. "If he's still alive, that is."

"He is. Trudy left his care to Sunny and Sunny mentioned she'd discuss it with you," the man said, turning to the side briefly to open the door for them. Neither were surprised to see the ghoul, sitting tied to the chair in the middle of the empty room. Ash remembered there being shelves the last time she had been in there, but it seemed they had been cleaned out. The ragged-looking ghoul looked up at the new arrivals, flashing a brief, sarcastic grin, though his eyes had contained surprise for a moment.

"Dean. You're alive," he said in a dark tone, not really matching his look.

"My death was greatly exaggerated, it seems," Dean said coolly, showing no real concern for Bill's wellbeing. "I heard that was your doing."

"Indirectly. Trust me, I would have fucking killed you myself, if I hadn't been… preoccupied." Bill's gaze moved over to Ash who merely looked back calmly.

"Personally I thought it was nice of Ash to show you what she knows in close combat," Dean smirked.

"Alright, I see that you have been briefed of what happened. Couldn't wait to tell him how you rescued his ass, hum?" Bill nearly hissed, looking at Ash now. His nerves were clearly trashed by now, being more afraid than he wanted to admit. Besides, Ash knew how painful it could be to be forced in the same position for hours and hours. She'd wager it was even worse as a ghoul, with their bone problems and all.

"I didn't come here to discuss that, Bill," Dean shook his head.

"Here to gloat then, no doubt. That's what I would be doing right before planting a bullet in your fucking head. You're very lucky, Dean, to have such an able bodyguard, without deserving it. Someone who can stand a ghoul and an asshole at the same time."

"The only one in here matching that description is you, Bill," Ash said tersely.

"And again, so touchy when Dean is brought up. She was very concerned about you when I said I had a sniper right on you. Courageous girl that. If I were you, I'd make sure nothing happened to her. Trust me, accidents happen a lot out here."

"Ash can handle herself. That's more than I could say for you."

Bill gritted his teeth for the moment, because Dean looked unperturbed by everything he said.

"You always were the one with the poker face, Dean…" he sneered afterwards. Even Ash was puzzled a bit, because so far Dean didn't seem to care about anything Bill had said about her. Which was a relief, of course, because she felt a bit awkward with all that out now.

"And you were always the one that threw tantrums all over the place…" Dean shook his head.

"That was always your fault! Everyone loved you, the great little kid, the singer, the charmer!" Bill snapped suddenly, on the verge of lifting the chair. "While the rest of us were shunned and left alone. To be complete failures!"

Ash glanced over at Dean who looked back briefly. He was still looking neutral and no doubt he had heard this many times. But Bill's behavior made sense to her now, if what he said was true. She knew little of pre-war schools, but that they contained the more popular kids and then the bullied ones, were one of the things she had gathered. To hold a resentment towards Dean for having been more popular seemed very far-fetched though. But then, ghouls were usually old and Dean had spent a long time searching for a damn treasure… maybe Bill's case wasn't so far-fetched once he knew Dean was alive after 200 years.

"You spent a lot of time hating some of us, Bill. Not my fault you grew dim in your skull eventually," Dean arched an eyebrow, as Bill looked at him with outright hatred now, something that didn't improve his already ghoulish looks. It was strange to Ash how angry ghouls seemed a lot worse than angry humans and she didn't feel entirely comfortable at all being in the room now. Besides, most of what was said, didn't seem to be her business anyway.

"We should leave. I got nothing else to say to him," Dean said, aiming it to Ash.

"Of course you don't, you condescending prick," Bill huffed. "Not a care in the world, never did have. You had everything and you'll always get everything…"

"You got your little team of ruffians. Or how many of them are left. Shame, you probably won't live to take part of that again."

"They won't kill me. And when I get back out… I know exactly who to pin my attention to."

Bill glared over at Ash who folded her arms across her chest.

"You think you're the first who wants me dead? You're not," she said coolly as she walked back to the door, putting her hand on the handle. "Come on, Dean. He's all empty threats now." Dean glanced at her briefly before shaking his head.

"You head out. I'll be right with you, I just want to tell Bill something. In private," he said calmly, as Ash lifted an eyebrow at him.

"Alright," she said slowly, before stepping outside, shutting the door behind her a bit puzzled. She didn't like leaving Dean alone with Bill even if the later couldn't do anything. She gave the man outside a frown, as he looked confused as to only her appearance, before standing there to wait for Dean.

"So? What can't you tell in front of her? Afraid she'll hate your guts? How she cannot already is a fucking mystery on its own," Bill muttered, as Dean continued to look at him. "You really got her wrapped around your finger, don't you?"

"Believe it or not, I don't. For a change," Dean said, not without some admiration.

"Oh… this is priceless. You actually care for her, don't you? Well, you might stand a chance; she actually seems to like our ugly faces. Figures, the human bitch she is."

"That's enough."

Bill did shut up, mostly because Dean's tone of voice demanded silence, without even raising it. He slowly smiled though.

"I see. Fucking hilarious," he said.

"If you live through this, Bill, I'd advise you stay away from her," Dean continued in the same, low tone as he went over to the door, grabbing the handle.

"Or what?"

"Or I will kill you myself," Dean frowned darkly.

"You're not the killing type, Dean. Don't make me laugh."

"I wasn't the type to come to someone's rescue either, was I? And see how that turned out." With that, Dean stepped outside, leaving Bill to his own, less encouraging thoughts.

Once outside, Ash sided up with him, giving him an inquiring look, wishing he didn't wear the damn glasses.

"Curious, are we?" he finally asked.

"A little. You look almost… annoyed," she frowned a bit confused.

"You said it yourself, Bill is a twat. It's only for so long even I cannot be annoyed by his stupidity. "

"Quite the patience there." She wondered if he had even noticed what Bill had said about some things. If he'd even bring it up. Part of her hoped he wouldn't, while another hoped he would. Not that she'd willingly discuss it either. She almost face palmed where she stood, because it was so confusing.

"Alright, we should head back before the doctor throws a fit," she sighed.

"Sounds… interesting."

"No, it isn't."


	19. Nothing to share

**I hope everyone had a good last month with all the holidays. Here's to hoping that 2012 will be a good year. :)**

* * *

><p>Dean didn't say anything but Ash could see that something was making him thoughtful, on their way back to the doctor's house. He showed no visible signs of that, nor could she see her eyes due to his glasses, but he was <em>quiet<em>. Too quiet. But then, she had no idea what he and Bill had spoken of, after she left the room. While the silence between them had been a little welcome before, when they were first traveling together, now it just felt mostly awkward. Not until they entered the house was the silence broken, by Mitchell though.

"Good, you're back," the doctor told them with a nod, gesturing for Dean to sit back down at the bench. "I'd like to look at your wound, if you don't mind. Need to change the bandages anyway." Dean exchanged a look with Ash before he sat down a bit reluctantly. He didn't feel too comfortable with the other man, being naturally suspicious towards everyone really, just like he had with Ash in the start. Unwrapping the bandage stung a bit, as the cloth clung to the dried blood between and Dean looked moderately entertained by the whole process. It wasn't until Ash moved about his clothes that the small, black box he had traded Bill for fell to the floor, which he reacted to with watching her closely as she picked it up.

She slid her hand across the smooth surface of the flat, pre-war box, before looking up. She really wanted to know what was in it, to force Dean across the whole Mojave just to get it back. Whatever it was, it had to be important. If she wanted to, she could just open it, despite Dean giving her a look of mild yet serious warning, because he couldn't really stop her from where he was sitting. Shaking her head lightly, she tucked the box back into the inner pocket of the coat which it had fallen out of. Despite her curiosity, she had no intention of opening it because in her line of work, one learned to suppress the curiosity regarding the packages you carried. Dean's were really no different, even if she had been more of a bodyguard than a courier in this assignment. But this box wasn't just a package, it was personal to Dean and she didn't want to disrespect him like that either. She met Dean's eyes, as he continued to watch her, pondering her reasoning before Mitchell's words got his attention.

"Well, this looks fine enough. Be glad you're a ghoul."

"You must truly be the first one to say that," Dean replied drily, coughing as Mitchell quickly tapped a new bandage right to his chest with a bit less care than expected. He wrapped it around the man's chest and shoulder, glancing over to Ash as he was attaching the ends somewhere on Dean's back. The ghoul kept a wary eye on him from over his shoulder, as if expecting a stab in his back any second. Ash smiled amused at the notion, until she saw Mitchell watching her and she quickly turned her eyes to the nearest window.

"For how long do you plan to stay here?" he asked her, pretending not to have noticed.

"As long as it's necessary for him to heal," she replied. "Bill shouldn't be able to bother the town anymore, so I doubt any more attacks will happen.

"Well, it'll still take a while for the wound to fully heal. I am not entirely accustomed to ghouls, so I think it's fine to leave when Dean feels well enough for it."

"A day after that then, since he's in a hurry back home," Ash smirked amused, glancing to Dean who frowned at them both.

"I'm right here, thank you," he said coolly.

"We know. It's more fun this way."

"Eager to get back to New Vegas, I take it?" Mitchell asked mostly Dean, as he dried off his hands on a piece of clean cloth, before tossing it onto a table. "City folks like you could use a few days in a town like this. Do some honest work."

"What makes you think my work isn't honest already?" Dean asked, narrowing his eyes under the glasses a bit. Mitchell merely shrugged, either missing or ignoring the suspicious tone. Ash grimaced as she looked towards one of the windows briefly. Dean's work was honest… for now. But she knew he'd resort to thievery if he needed it.

"Don't tell me I have to explain what he means?" she asked instead, letting the amusement be obvious enough.

"Of course not. But you will not find me doing farm work."

"_Of course not_…" she repeated like you might tell a child. "But I still think we should stay for another day or two. I don't want to hear you complain on the way back."

"Complain…" Dean rolled his eyes, as Mitchell handed him the brown shirt again. "I think you confuse me with yourself." Ash folded her arms across her chest, shaking her head. She looked over her shoulder quickly when she heard someone enter the house, after a brief knock on the door. Mitchell looked the most alert of them considering it was his house, but relaxed when it was clear it was only Angryl.

"Sorry, doc. I was lookin' for Ash," he smiled briefly in an apologizing manner. "Could I have a word with you?" he continued towards her, who nodded slowly. He gestured for the living room, before they both walked over there, Ash a lot more unsure than Angryl. Dean looked after them, while pulling the shirt over his head, annoyed over the fact he didn't like Angryl's presence. To be honest he didn't much like the man, even if he barely knew him and he had an annoying suspicion as to why.

Ash paused shortly by the living room door, looking expectantly at Angryl who seemed to struggle with words.

"Look, lass… this might come off as a little forward but," he started, seemingly gathering his courage or just senses; Ash had a hard time judging what exactly.

"I've heard you're on your way to New Vegas. Thing is, that's where I'm headin' too. We could go there together. There's strength in numbers after all." Ash very slowly lifted her eyebrows as she watched him, not entirely sure how to respond to the suggestion.

"I…" she started, before pausing. She had no weapons, no good ones at least. How did she expect to bring Dean safely across the Mojave again, without them? It wouldn't be the first time she had teamed up with other travelers, to avoid getting killed by something like a pack of mole rats.

"I suppose that'd be a good idea," she finally said, mostly for Dean's sake to be honest, as Angryl simply nodded once with a smile.

"I'm glad you agree. I'm sure you want to get to New Vegas just as fast as me. With the three of us, I'm sure we can get through Sloan without any problems," he said thoughtfully. Ash twitched a little. Sloan was the quarry that contained all the Deathclaws, if the rumors were true. None had really dared heading in there to solve the problem, so the monsters had been allowed to breed and breed and Ash certainly wasn't about to offer her help. She did much, but head into a Deathclaw nest? Not on her life. She had gotten close enough to Sloan already when she had raided that Mutant area in search for Raul, but that had also been close enough. The Deathclaws had been a constant terror in her mind and she had actually been relieved once she had been in the mutants' base, because at least there wouldn't be Deathclaws.

"That's an awful risk…" she muttered uneasily, although she did her best to hide it, folding her arms across her chest.

"With some good sneakin' and an eye out, one doesn't even need to worry about the Deathclaws. It just requires exactly that, many eyes and stealth. I've gotten through there several times with a small group of other travelers. We even managed to get a Brahmin through."

"That I find hard to believe," Ash smirked amused.

"Fun story actually. Remind me to tell you all about it at some point. But yeah, when exactly do you guys want to leave then?"

"Two days or so. Dean needs some time to recover just in case."

"Fair enough. Might wanna use that time to teach him a thing or two about stealth," Angryl winked amused.

"I doubt that'll be needed," Ash shook her head, amused as well, but mostly of the idea of teaching Dean stealth. She had a good feeling he had been using that a lot in the Sierra Madre already.

"You never know. I'll head back out again then, we still got some cleanin' to do outside the town. If I find a good weapon I'll save it for you, I think you'll need it."

"Thanks," Ash said, as Angryl walked past her. Straight to business, she thought amused. She liked that, at least she doubted he'd an annoyance when it came to small talk. She wasn't after company, just added security.

When she came back out into the medical room, Dean was there alone, waiting patiently. He looked almost grim though, even if his features softened a bit as she approached him again.

"Good news," she announced with a smile. "We'll get an extra gun on our way back to New Vegas."

"Wait… what?" Dean asked, as he pulled off his glasses to look at her properly. "Don't tell me you're bringing… him with us," he added, pointing towards where Angryl had left the house. "How's that good news?"

"It isn't? It'll make us able to take the shorter route to New Vegas. We'll save in half a week at least. If not more," Ash shrugged. She preferred Dean without his glasses these days, but it was also a bit… unnerving to actually see his eyes watch her. Unnerving and intriguing all at once. He inhaled sharply through the remains of his nose, with an uncomfortable snorting sound.

" I'd rather take the longer route back, if it means we can leave him here," he said coolly, causing her to arch an eyebrow in surprise.

"Didn't you hear me? We'll save a lot of time," she frowned.

"Of course I did, I'm neither daft nor deaf. I just don't believe we need his help…"

"Dean. I've lost all my weapons and your pistol won't do much against… well anything. We _need _his help. What's your problem anyway, it's not like you to risk both time and safety."

"I don't like him, that's all. Besides… I am not paying him too."

"He hasn't asked for caps, he's heading that way anyway. And don't like him? What does that have to do with anything? What has he done you anyway? Oh, never mind, stupid question. He looked at you the wrong way or what?" Dean gave her a look of disapproval, fairly sure he didn't like the fact she was getting _defensive_ about it all.

"That tone does not do you well, Ash," he frowned. "I'd appreciate it if you changed it. Why I don't like him, is for reasons of my own."

"Alright. Keep them your own then, because he's going with us. End of story." Dean glared at her, finding himself unable to really be as annoyed as he'd normally get at her… stubborn, disrespectful attitude. But right now he found her assertiveness nothing but refreshing and intriguing, even if she basically was ordering him at the moment. He kept looking at her, almost sharply, until she averted her gaze by walking past him. He smirked, rather pleased with the fact that while she acted as if she was in control… she wasn't. Well, it was an illusion she could keep, he figured as he put his glasses back on.

Ash didn't really wait or call for Dean to follow her, as she walked out from the building, trying to find Sunny as soon as possible. Judging by the steps behind her though, he was already following. If it was to argue further or just tag along, she didn't care, because she had said her piece in the matter and would stick to it, even if his agreement almost bothered her. Why was he letting her order him around like that really?

She hadn't expected to find Sunny so soon, out by the bighorner pen in the center of town. The other woman and Easy Pete by the looks of it where kneeling next to a smaller bighorner, which was lying down, something the animals didn't usually do. Ash and Dean paused by the old, white fence, the latter looking somewhat puzzled by what was going on. Ash didn't think twice really, as she climbed over to the fence, leaving Dean alone and for the better too, he had no intention of following her into… _that_ place. Instead he leant his arms to the fence, watching Ash head inside the pen.

Easy Pete, the old man with white hair and beard gave her a brief nod as she approached, more concerned about the animal in front of them than properly greeting anyone. Sunny on the other hand smiled quickly.

"Hey, Ash."

"Hey. I was actually looking for you, Sunny, but it seems you're… otherwise busy," Ash replied calmly, pointing down at the animal.

"We're soon done. Poor thing got shot in the chest during the attack and it seems he's been hiding it well until now." Sunny petted the dark, long fur of the bighorner as it bellowed anxiously, before she reached down for its chest, running her hand across the wound, surrounded by dried up blood. While Easy Pete kept the bighorner as calm as possible, she started to clean out the wound with water and a careful hand. Ash glanced back at Dean who seemed content just watching them at the moment, so she knelt down among the others as well, caressing the bighorner's head carefully.

"I think we got this, Pete," Sunny said to the older man, once she started to get done with the wound. "How about you go see to the other animals?"

"Alright," he grunted before getting up on his feet and headed over to the remaining older bighorners that were grazing further off. Sunny brushed off her hands, standing up as well and taking a steady hold on the young bighorner's horn, before trying to pull it up in a standing position. Ash reached out as well to help, by pushing on its side. Bellowing, the bighorner struggled up on its feet and once it did stand up, it suddenly moved forward very quickly, eager to get away from the human hands.

Dean quickly put his hand over his face with a grimace, as he saw Ash fall head first into the dry ground behind the bighorner, throwing up dust all over the place. She didn't bother to get up at once, as Sunny started laughing at the misfortune, resulting in Ash joining as well, almost landing her head in the dirt again. After all the tension and worry, it actually felt good to laugh for even the smallest thing. Dean merely sighed, not really seeing what was so funny. On the other hand he found himself appreciating the genuine laughter from Ash, finding the sound to be very… contagious, as he barely kept from smiling himself. The temptation was quickly stopped though, as he muttered something about women under his breath, looking in another direction for a short moment.

First after a minute or so did Sunny help Ash up again, who looked about as dusty as an old carpet now.

"Well, now that that is settled," Ash started, still chuckling as she tried to brush off the worst dust and dirt. Her clothes were torn and dirty in general already, she could need to change them but she didn't see it happening before reaching New Vegas.

"I needed to talk about Bill," she continued, managing to gain some seriousness, as she looked at the other woman. Sunny had grown grim looking at the subject change as well.

"Yes, I've been thinking about what to do with him too. One of our more reasonable ideas was to turn him over to the NCR," she said.

"You want to turn him over to the NCR?" Ash asked surprised. She hadn't expected that kind of idea to be honest, even if the Goodsprings inhabitants weren't… murderers and preferred non-violent solutions.

"I thought you didn't want to take sides. Even if there aren't so much more sides to take anymore," she added, voicing her apparent surprise.

"We don't, but we don't want that… slime in our town either. The NCR will most likely not mind getting a Legion affiliate to deal with. The thing is… we don't have that many armed people here, even fewer who are willing to be around Bill. For all we know, someone might try and set him free."

"Primm still has that NCR camp doesn't it? Wouldn't be a long walk…" Ash grew silent, before sighing. She didn't want more to do with Bill to be honest, but she'd feel a lot safer knowing that he was in fact turned in properly.

"I suppose we can do it," she shrugged. "I'd feel better seeing it for myself."

"Are you sure about that?" Sunny asked, giving her a doubtful, if not even worried look. "He tried to kill your friend. No doubt he'd try again."

"He's very welcome to try, accidents happen easily in the desert after all. Even so… I could possibly get Angryl with us. He's going with us to New Vegas after all."

"Aah… I did hear him voice he was thinking about leaving again soon. Good for you I think, he's a good shot. I just hope Dean won't mind the company."

"Dean's fine with it," Ash snorted. "Why wouldn't he be?" she asked, wondering what had given Sunny that impression. She rather doubted Dean had talked much with the woman.

"Dean doesn't seem the type to… share," Sunny smirked amused, as Ash gave her an almost startled look.

"Don't be ridiculous. Besides, there's nothing to share," she said in a hurry. "We'll take Bill to Primm when we leave, the detour wouldn't take us more than an hour or two anyway," she continued, very keen on changing the subject.

"Fair enough," Sunny chuckled, dropping the matter although it was fun to see the other woman look flustered like she did now. If what she suspected was true, then she was really glad for Ash, if a bit puzzled by the idea. It wasn't what she'd choose, but she wasn't Ash. She'd probably never see what was interesting with the ghoul. There was no point in asking Ash because she wouldn't admit to anything anyway, that much was clear. If Ash herself even knew. These kind of things could be obvious to everyone else a long while before the subjects themselves realized it, after all.

* * *

><p>The next two days went surprisingly well, although Dean made his best to avoid Angryl and Ash did notice that eventually. She tried to not put too much attention to it though, since she wanted them to get along, if only to get a good trip back to New Vegas. What surprised her more was Dean's wound healing surprisingly fast and his almost mellow attitude to her, especially when Angryl was around. If she didn't know better she'd say that Sunny was right. Dean didn't seem willing to… share her company with Angryl, which was an absolutely ridiculous thought from her side, since Dean had no reason to worry about that. For any reason. There were way more serious things to worry about after all.<p>

Ash rubbed her left temple as she looked down at the bag she was packing on the table in Mitchell's living room. She picked up one of the prepared water bottles, stuffing it into the bag along with the rest of the few bottles and ammo she had managed to nag Chet to give her for the trip. Regretting a decision already made wasn't something she could afford at the moment. But crossing through obvious Deathclaw territory? The thought terrified her to be honest and it wasn't little either.

It was another moment where she missed Raul's presence and his clever remarks on how idiotic the plan actually was, but still doing his very best to pull it off. But then he would also probably have recommended the longer route, mostly because he didn't mind taking things slow. That was easy for a 200 year old ghoul to say though. Ash managed an amused smile with her otherwise grim thoughts. The smile quickly faded when she heard someone enter the house and she looked over her shoulder quickly, expecting to see Dean. She honestly didn't expect the major disappointment she felt when she saw it was Angryl.

Angryl had been kind the last days, asking to help her with the planning but without pushing too much. He knew what he was doing, that was for sure. He sounded like an experienced traveler when he spoke and that was a good thing. It would be nice to travel without all that pressure on her, for once, although she made sure to not voice that anywhere near Dean. So it didn't make sense for her to feel uneasy around Angryl, suspecting others didn't come naturally to her at all.

"All set for the trip, lass?" Angryl asked, almost cheery, as he stopped by the door into the room, folding his arms across his chest. "Bill's been pulled out from his little prison, all tied up and as defenseless as a baby."

"Good," Ash replied; her focus on the bag again but since she was done with it that focus didn't last long as she threw it over her shoulder, turning to face Angryl. "Alright, we should get going then, before something else happens," she jested lightly, heading out from the house along with him. As they did so, Angryl pulled forth one of the weapons across his back and Ash realized first now that he had one more than he usually did.

"Here," he said, as he handed her the sniper rifle. "I think this is the sniper rifle you carried back into town during the attack. Sunny told me you usually prefer sniper rifles so I repaired it a bit for you." Ash gave the weapon a wary look, getting unpleasantly reminded of that night. But he was right, she did prefer sniper rifles and she didn't really want to walk around without a weapon.

"Thanks," she replied, as she threw the sniper over her other shoulder via its belt. The shotgun, originally Bill's, she had attached to her belt's backside. "I could have repaired it myself but I appreciate the thought."

"Oh, a handy woman, are we?"

"She is," Dean's voice reached them suddenly and Ash almost let out a sigh of relief. The conversation was getting awkward and she hated awkward conversations… She had experienced awkward moments with Dean but they knew each other well enough to joke it off. Angryl felt too serious and new for her to really wave anything he said away.

"Thank you, Dean," she smirked drily to him, as he came to stand next to them, seemingly ignoring Angryl. "Always so nice to hear you confirm the obvious," Ash added, rolling her eyes. Dean hadn't missed that Ash had been looking uncomfortable ever since she stepped out from the building, so his arrival wasn't the cause. He quickly put that blame on Angryl, taking any reason to be dismal with the other man right now. He was acting way too friendly to Ash and he had been watching her when none else would see it, except Dean who kept his eyes on Angryl a lot despite avoiding him. It was pretty obvious that Angryl was developing an interest in Ash, and she was either too naïve to notice it herself or just ignoring it. But then… the girl was rather shy too, she could just be waiting for a more proper time. The mere thought made Dean glare further at Angryl for the man's nerve to even try and get close to Ash.

Neither got to continue the conversation as Sunny walked up to them, looking a bit bothered by something.

"As sad I am to see you leave again, Ash, I'll also be glad to get that… idiot out of our town," Sunny sighed once she was close enough. "He's been doing nothing but throwing insults and threats since we brought him back out. He's very good at annoying people, isn't he?"

"Yes, I've noticed that too. I wonder how long it'll take for the NCR to decide on shooting him instead of actually imprisoning him," Ash rolled her eyes, as they all walked over to where Bill was standing with a few men as well as Victor. The ghoul looked even more bedraggled than the last time, making him look more disturbing and creepy than before. What was worse, there seemed to be a permanent angry scowl etched into his face now. Ash didn't like seeing him like this at all and it was difficult to remind herself that when it came to actual threat, Bill posed none. Unless he got his hands on a weapon, yes, but the odds of that happening now were very, very slim.

"Ah, you," Bill said with a wide grin as he spotted the others, lifting his tied together hands briefly. "I was wondering whether you had fled the village or not yet."

"They'll be taking you to the NCR, Bill," Sunny said. "Any disobedience from your side and they're free to kill you on the spot."

"Oh, I'm fucking shaking in my boots."

"Two days in solitude have done nothing to your attitude, I see," Dean commented drily as Bill shot him a glare.

"And you've only healed. What a shame…" he almost hissed.

"Guy seems a bit… crazy, if you ask me," Angryl muttered to Ash who shrugged.  
>"I'm inclined to agree," she admitted, before looking towards Sunny.<p>

"Thank you for all your help. Hopefully now, you can return to your peaceful upkeeping of the town," she smirked a bit amused, as they shook hands.

"It's been our pleasure. You know you're always welcome here," Sunny smiled back.

"I guess I'll see you in New Vegas, Victor?" Ash continued towards the robot whose screen flickered a bit.

"Yes, partner. I believe Mr. House is anxious for your return," he replied, making her arch an eyebrow. She assumed it was about a job, but she wasn't about to rush through dangerous territory just because of it. She pulled out the shotgun from her back, aiming it right at Bill as she walked up behind him.

"So, I believe it's time for you to get moving," she told him coolly. "But please, feel free to disobey. I would love to shoot your head off your neck," she added, as Bill glared at her from over his shoulder though he started to walk, obviously having no wish to lose his head. Sunny shook her head amused at his look before watching the four people head down the dirt path that would soon lead out to the old, main road.

* * *

><p><strong>Hopefully it wasn't too short!<strong>


	20. Always a catch

It didn't take more than a half an hour to reach the actual main road, that allowed them to spot Primm in the distance, with its large but broken wooden rollercoaster. Mostly it'd gone faster but Ash wanted to move in a slow pace, to not give Bill any chances of escape. Not that she thought he'd try but… she was honestly worried that he was only interested in killing Dean these days. She didn't see that concern in Dean, as he was walking next to her, adjusting the collar of his coat, as well as the white shirt under it. Angryl was walking ahead for now, scouting the area out it seemed.

"So… you're really not going to try and escape?" Dean asked Bill, as the later scoffed.

"I like my health to remain… healthy," he replied darkly. "If you're that fucking eager to shoot me, just do it already."

"Tempting, but… I'd just let Ash do it," Dean smirked briefly, winking at Ash.

"Ah. Let the woman fight your battles. Very… grand of you."

"Shut up, Bill," Ash frowned at him, pushing him forward by planting the barrel of the shotgun in his back.

"Well, someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed today. Or maybe in the wrong bed in general," Bill cackled, not really taken aback by the weapon threat anymore. Whether he was convinced she wouldn't shoot him or just wasn't bothered by the whole 'dying' fact.

"Was he always this… witty?" Ash asked Dean drily.

"I'd call that rude and distasteful but I guess… witty works… and yes, he was," the other man sighed.

"Ash?" Angryl called from up front, having paused with a slightly worried expression on his face. "Come here." Ash nodded, before looking over at Dean.

"Watch him?" she asked, as she looked over Bill's wrists to make sure they still were tied together, before she walked up towards Angryl. Dean pulled out his pistol, casually releasing the safety on it, with a look towards Bill.

"There's a whole pack of geckos straight ahead," Angryl told the woman once she came up to him, and he pointed right ahead towards a few rocks covering the old road. "I suppose we could fight them, but I'd recommend we walk around. Less risk of… losin' the prisoner." Ash pulled out the sniper, looking down its sight without actually spotting anything.

"Uh… how small geckos are we talking?" she asked and Angryl chuckled, putting his hand on her shoulder before using the other to point along her head so she could follow his finger, before she looked down at the sights again, finally spotting the carefully hidden gecko pack. He was right; it was a whole pack with at least six geckos. A battle they could win yes, but it'd give Bill a chance to escape…

Dean's eyes had narrowed casually behind the glasses upon Angryl's touch. An innocent gesture but he felt really annoyed by it. So it took him a few moments to focus back on Bill, noticing the unusual look of triumph in the black haired ghoul's face: a sight Dean did _not_ enjoy at all.

"What?" he asked tersely, as Bill shrugged.

"Oh, nothing. Just watching your little girl being swept away by the charming and handsome guy. Not to say the fact he's… you know, human."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Oh, yes you do. But really, were I you I'd accept the facts already. If she had no interest in me, she certainly doesn't have in you." Dean arched an eyebrow, or rather the muscle remaining after the hair loss. He didn't even get a chance to retort before Bill smiled with glee.

"Let me guess. She didn't tell you, did she? She… rejected my approach that night with a rather… violent approach, yes, but ah, I still got close enough to smell her hair… and that female warmth. Mm… smooth skin too, I can see where the phrase 'smoothskins' comes from." Dean's shoulders grew rigid, grinding his teeth together, as he fingered the trigger of the pistol in his hand.

"I bet you a hundred caps, she'll be fucking Angryl within two days. I'm just annoyed I don't get a bit of her before that happens."

The sound of a punch being delivered and someone falling back into the ground, made both Ash and Angryl turn around in alarm. Much to their surprise, Dean was standing with his fist still in the air, where he had struck Bill in the face. Bill was sitting up gingerly, grimacing heavily before spitting out blood on the ground. Dean's blow hadn't been that strong but since his hands were tied he had no chance of keeping his balance. Besides, he hadn't expected Dean to_ punch_ him. He looked up briefly where Dean was pulling his hand to his chest, rubbing his knuckles against the cloth there, muttering a quiet 'ow' under his breath.

"Did you just… punch him?" Ash asked, as she and Angryl had approached them both now, still looking a bit puzzled. The geckos had to wait, because this was seriously stranger than anything she had seen in a long while now.

"Yes," Dean said. "Wish I hadn't," he added thoughtfully, frowning at his fist. It was aching because of the hit and to be honest he wasn't sure what had come over him, beyond the sudden intense rage. Above all, why he hadn't used the gun in his other hand instead of resorting to such a… primitive method?

"He had it coming," Dean continued, folding his arms across his chest, as Angryl pulled Bill back up on his feet.

"That I don't find surprising," Ash sighed. "Angryl, would you mind keeping an eye on Bill?" she asked the man who nodded, giving Bill a stern, watchful look. Bill still looked a bit shocked, having no signs left of the disgusting arrogance of a few moments ago. Ash gently took Dean's arm, leading him ahead a bit while frowning at him.

"Are you alright?" she asked.

"I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be?"

"You punched someone, Dean. I don't think I've ever seen you… well, violent. You're _never_ violent!"

"And you've secretly been watching me the last 200 years?" Dean asked, arching an eyebrow again. "Even I have my limits to being insulted like… _that_," he added in a huff, gesturing with his free hand towards Bill. Ash kept on looking at him, concern in her green eyes. She looked genuinely worried, making even him feel a bit guilty for some reason. He was still angry actually, repressing it though because he hadn't expected to punch Bill either. He was just as puzzled as Ash about it, but he had no intention of discussing it.

"Don't worry about it; I will not do it again. Had I known it'd hurt that bloody much I wouldn't have the first time…" he frowned, hoping she'd drop the subject. "Bill's precious face won't be harmed further."

"Hmph. It's not Bill's face I worry about, it can rot off for all I care," Ash scoffed loudly. "Or rot off further, I guess. Just do me a favor, stay away from him? He could still be dangerous, you know."

"My dear Ash, are you implying I can't take care of myself?"

"No, I'm asking you a favor." Dean lifted both eyebrows for a moment at her serious tone before holstering the pistol, lifting his palms towards her afterwards with a somewhat calm smile.

"As you wish."

"Thanks."

She gave him a second concerned look, before walking back to the other two, Dean following but he was giving Bill a murderous look behind her back, a look Bill casually avoided.

"We'll go around the geckos, I think," Ash told Angryl. "Just in case." The man nodded, before looking at Dean as they started walking again, taking off somewhere to the side though to get out of sight from the animals further away.

"Nice hit," he smiled amused at the ghoul who gave him a mildly annoyed look.

"Didn't know such a prettyboy had it in him…" Bill commented sourly, still looking in another direction.

"Prettyboy…" Angryl laughed, causing Dean's eyes to narrow further, as he had a pretty good idea as to what Angryl found it funny.

* * *

><p>The pack of geckos didn't seem to notice them as they made sure to keep a cliff or two in between them. Angryl kept close to Bill, ready to point his weapon into the man's back to get him moving when he wasn't. The rest of the way to Primm went smoothly after that, although the little town looked to be in just as bad shape as before. Even calling it a town was flattering it because it wasn't bigger than Goodsprings, but it did look more… grand, with its huge buildings, casino and broken roller coaster. It looked more lifeless though, with its generally undisturbed and empty streets, which did surprise Ash a bit. The last time they had been empty, there had been trouble in the little town.<p>

"What a… ragged looking town," Dean sighed unimpressed, keeping his hands in his coat pockets by now, not even bothering with a cigar for once. He preferred keeping his hands free in case Bill would decide to try anything.

"You're one to talk," Bill noted quietly.

"Well, at least I don't look like a drowned, mutated rat," Dean quipped back, having hidden the annoyed twitch well. Bill didn't get a chance to retort because Ash glared at them both, before she walked further in on the street they had entered the town on. She paused by a small building that had a huge, red neon sign at the top, spelling out "Mojave". The windows at the front were, like most windows in the Mojave, dusty and difficult to see through but she managed to tell when looking inside that the shop there was empty.

"Isn't this the Mojave Express? Where couriers work?" Angryl asked as he looked at the building, a curious expression in his face. Ash merely nodded a yes, giving the building a look as well.

"Ages ago I was here last. I get most jobs from New Vegas these days," she added, gesturing for them to continue, before anyone would ask any questions. Dean was looking curiously at the building as well, before giving her an equally curious look.

Their next destination was the casino, because it was bound to contain at least one soul. Unless something had killed off every inhabitant in the town, but Ash strongly doubted that. The famous Vikki and Vance casino had surely seen better days and both ghouls looked at it, probably comparing it to how it used to look, before the war ruined everything. But like most buildings in the Mojave, it still looked better than the more ravaged buildings in the country. Dean scratched his neck a bit awkwardly upon seeing a poster of him by the casino doors, inwardly wondering just how many places his performance had been announced in. Many, of course, why wouldn't they, but that they had survived ever since the war was surprising.

Neither had expected to be greeted with the backs of what had to be the town's inhabitants, all standing in the large room and watching something happening further inside. They weren't that many to block the view to the inside fully though and Ash arched a cautious eyebrow at what she both saw and heard. A man, all too familiar, was throwing a ruckus in a too obvious drunken stupor, by arguing loudly with another inhabitant of the town, holding a glass bottle in his hand. With dirty blond colored hair and roughly put together leather armor, he was too busy waving the bottle around to see the new arrivals. It didn't last for long though.

"You!" he spat out suddenly, turning his glazy eyes to Ash, who quickly rubbed an eyebrow in frustration. The rest of the crowd turned around as well, some of them still familiar faces to her. A few of them even waved, while the man who had announced her arrival moved towards her, taking care to not stumble in the process.

"Hello to you too, Deputy Beagle," Ash said calmly, discreetly turning her head a bit to avoid his foul breath. Dean actually tilted his glasses down for a moment, giving the man a look of utter shock, mostly because he looked worse than Bill, and that was quite the accomplishment. Angryl looked less surprised but then he mostly kept an eye on Bill who watched with some amusement, probably because it wasn't difficult to sense the hostility that this Beagle had for Ash.

"Deputy! You know very well I'm not that anymore, thanks to you!" Beagle continued, giving her a sharp poke in the chest. "You should know that!"

"Look, I didn't come here to talk to you…"

"Oh, what, I'm not good enough anymore? Stupid woman sticking your nose where you shouldn't have…""

"If I recall right, I had to save you from a bunch of criminals… how about showing some gratitude?" Ash had barely finished the sentence before the glass bottle in his hand connected to her face, not hard enough to shatter it, but it certainly hurt more than what a normal slap would. She immediately put her hand over her cheek, finding the stinging pain there more than tolerable. Before anyone could react, she launched her fist right into Beagle's stomach, sending him keeling to the ground. Being drunk, the last thing he handled well was a blow to his stomach and he didn't really bother to get back up on his feet.

"You did have that one coming…" Dean commented, a bit amused, frowning as Ash glared at him, rubbing her cheek. "Not you," he said tersely.

"I wish I could punch like you," Angryl snickered amused behind her. "Granted, nothing's worse than bein' beaten by a girl."

"I think he got that message…" Ash sighed. "What the hell has been happening here?" she asked out loud, as an old, black man approached her.

"Not much," he responded calmly, nodding his greeting afterwards. "Good to see you again, Ash. Despite what… Beagle might think, we still appreciate what you did for this town. I'm sorry you were welcomed with a bottle to the face though…" Ash lowered her hand with a slight frown, fairly sure she had a big red mark there by now.

"Don't worry, Nash," she said afterwards, watching two other men pull Beagle up on his feet. He looked half unconscious now, much to her relief. She had a feeling he'd never get over that grudge, but he normally wasn't even close to violent. Just a coward.

"Alright people, show's over," Nash announced, as most went on to their own business, including leaving the casino. "With such a small town, every little thing close to drama becomes a high interest…" he continued, shaking his head towards Ash, before he looked at her followers. Especially the tied up, cranky looking ghoul.

"Something tells me you're not here sightseeing," he frowned.

"No, not really. I'm hoping the NCR still has their eye on the town? I need them to take someone off my back…"

"They do. Unfortunately, the two soldiers we have for now are away."

"Away? I didn't go through the trouble for them to be _away_ from the town! And just two of them?"

"We normally have a few more, but a few new inhabitants here are skilled with weapons so the nearest NCR outpost saw the chance to get some trading done between them and Primm. They're basically escorting a large wagon of stuff… they'll be back in the evening."

Ash gave him a slightly horrified look. She frankly wasn't sure she could stand dragging around Bill the whole day, and she had no intention of leaving him here without the NCR's involvement. He was too… important for that and there was the thing with her _wanting _to see him being taken away.

"Ash, tell me you're not considering staying here till evening…" Dean muttered uneasily to her, having spotted her expression easily enough. "We'd be stuck here till morning!"

"Oh, it's not all that bad. We got the hotel outside mostly fixed by now. We could easily arrange some space for you there," Nash smiled.

"Erh… _thank you_," Dean sighed annoyed, reluctant to speak further about the subject with that damn peasant around.

"That's appreciated, Nash," Ash nodded to the old man, ignoring Dean for now much to his dismay. "We have no choice, Dean. I won't let Bill roam around here without my watch and we can't risk traveling when it's dark."

"Simply can't resist me, can you?" Bill sneered amused.

"I'm still in the mood to hit someone, Bill. Shut. Up."

"I'm with Ash on this one," Angryl said calmly. "Wouldn't want to be travelin' in night, nasty business. For that matter, I wouldn't mind hittin' him," he added, gesturing with his head towards Bill.

"Next time he speaks, do it," Ash snorted, as Angryl grinned towards Bill who, despite his bravado, decided to keep his mouth shut now.

"We can probably stay in the casino for now, I guess. Can someone let us know when the soldiers come back?" Ash asked Nash, who nodded.

"Easy," he said. "

* * *

><p>Ash was leaning onto the open door when night was starting to fall, her left foot planted to the door as well and her arms folded across her chest. She had had enough of Bill's staring and comments and needed the fresh air, even if it was chilly to the bone to stand there. But the faster she saw the NCR soldiers or someone else, the better.<p>

"Why you standin' out here, lass?" Angryl asked her suddenly, causing her to glance to him briefly. "Old Bill's going on your nerves?"

"You really need to ask that?"

"Stupid question maybe…" he grinned a bit. "Thought I'd keep you company anyway," he sighed amused afterwards, running a hand across the stubble on his cheek. Ash rolled her eyes while looking to the side, fairly sure she hadn't asked for his company.

"If we're going to be traveling for a while we might as well get to know-," he continued in a shrug, almost jumping when Ash pushed away from the door to wave eagerly towards some uniform wearing men further away.

"Oh, they're finally here!" she said, her voice filled with relief, as she stopped waving when they were actually heading towards her, followed by two inhabitants of the town. Angryl arched an eyebrow at the woman, who seemed completely oblivious to him now and he sighed, looking towards the three soldiers instead.

The brown NCR uniform was a familiar sight to Ash at least and something she took gratitude in. Granted, the NCR weren't perfect and had made their errors too but she majorly preferred them to the Legion. It was just their leaders that had a smaller grudge towards her for working with House instead of them.

"I take it you're the one who wanted to speak to us?" the first arriving of the soldiers asked, keeping his tone professional. There was hardly a difference among the three men, except the hair color, which varied in brown and blond. Otherwise they kept their hair as short as possible and their faces shaven and clean, close to the point of looking proper. The two inhabitants behind them had already turned to mind their own business, only there to show the way if Ash hadn't called out, after all.

"Yes, we got a Legion affiliate we want to turn over," Ash nodded, still looking fairly relieved. "He's a real case, so we're happy to get rid of him fast frankly…" she added almost anxiously, as she led the way inside, followed by them all.

Dean, who was sitting on a chair opposite to Bill on a respectable distance, had kept his pistol aimed at him ever since Angryl had left. If mostly just to stop Bill from getting any ideas. The distance between their chairs was enough that by the time Bill tried to make a move, he'd be shot, even with Dean's not too great reflexes. Bill looked sharply at the NCR soldiers, obviously not happy with their presence.

"This the man?" the leading soldier asked, as he pointed towards Bill. "A ghoul who works with the Legion? They must truly have become desperate since they were kicked out of the Mojave…"

"Your club isn't off any fucking better, you arse licking smoothskin!" Bill snapped surprisingly loudly.

"We're way better than you are," the soldier frowned back. "Unfortunately for you, you won't return to your lands again. We don't take kindly to Legion affiliates..."

"I sure am scared now," Bill snorted, trying to resist as the other two soldiers grabbed him and dragged him out of his chair.

"The only one who should be scared here are you," Bill continued, glaring towards Ash. "I'll be out again one day and I know exactly who to take my revenge on, you little whore."

"I think you're forgetting who's your real foe here…" Dean said drily, not too fond of the threat towards Ash to be honest.

"Hmph… unlike her, you're not threatening, twat. If she's gone, you're going to be way easier to stick a knife in the back to!"

"Don't forget our little talk."

"Oh, shut up already!" Dean smirked amused, despite the insult, but Bill looked too aggravated and disturbed to give off any other vibes than amusement. One of the soldiers grabbed the back of his head now to force him forward since he seemed determined to glare at his captors.

Dean stood up after Bill's departure, seeing Ash visibly relax, as in fact she sat down in the nearest chair, rubbing the brink of her nose. He pulled out a cigarette from his chest pocket, heaving a long sigh.

"What talk, Dean?" Ash asked, giving him a puzzled look.

"Nothing you need to concern your little head with, my dear," he smirked amused, putting the now lit cigar in his mouth. "Hopefully that's the last we'll see of him. He knows he'll die otherwise."

"Unless he sneaks up on us…"

"Hah! You don't sneak up on me. Besides, if he gets out, by that time I'll be back in New Vegas where I'm in control." Ash arched an eyebrow.

"Oh, don't worry, I got plenty of explosives to protect you too," Dean added with a small smirk, as she gave him a downright offended look, both her eyebrows lifted now.

"Please… I can deal with idiots like Bill," she scoffed a bit uncomfortable.

"So you say… I could need the company anyway, everyone in the Tops are mostly idiots after all."

Angryl looked at the both of them, not entirely sure he understood the… friendship between his new companions. Ash seemed unusually comfortable around Dean which was odd because… well he was a ghoul. He knew Dean was her 'charge' but she seemed to put a lot more effort into it than was needed. He shook the thoughts off though, assuming that Ash had in fact built a friendship with the ghoul. It didn't necessarily bother him as long as Dean didn't try the same thing on him, because he had no interest in being near the ghoul for longer than necessary. Despite his coolness, he didn't much like the tone between Ash and Dean, so he shifted a little where he stood, looking towards the door.

"Should we go to the hotel then?" he asked. "Get a good night's rest in for tomorrow. Got quite the distance to make after all." He reached out towards Ash with his palm, offering her help up which she accepted without thinking much about it. Dean moved the cigarette in his mouth to the other side in a moment's annoyance before following the other two.

The last time Ash had set her foot in the hotel, there had been thugs in it and signs of battle, especially after her departure. Now the place looked almost habitable. On the counter just by the front door, there were three keys that seemed to go into the actual rooms. Ash picked up one, looking at the number that read one, before glancing at the other two.

"Seemed Nash remembered his deal," she shrugged, as she entered the main corridor, before heading up the stairs to the rooms.

"Angryl, I want us waking up early tomorrow, alright?" she called to the man who nodded as he walked off to number three, leaving Dean behind as the ghoul glanced over to Ash.

"I'd like a word with you," he said. She nodded, fumbling a bit with the old lock before entering the room. The room was small but comfortable enough with a bed, a table and two chairs. There was even a small bathroom further off, reminding her to check later if the water actually worked. Dean was looking at her as she turned around to see what he wanted exactly, noting that he had already shut the door behind them.

"I've been thinking about something the last hours…will you tell me why me punching someone is so bloody surprising, Ash?" Dean asked. "I swear, sometimes you underestimate me a bit too much…"

"It's just… wrong. What the hell did Bill say to wind you up that much anyway?" she retorted the question quickly enough, giving him a mildly stern look. She hadn't expected him to bring this up now, but she wasn't going to miss the chance to discuss it fully with him either, in private.

"He…" Dean started before pausing thoughtfully. Telling Ash what Bill had actually said would just upset her, not to say create a very awkward conversation. The last thing he wanted to do now was to silence her when Angryl was finally away. He had every intention to make use of every moment alone with her and that didn't mean bicker with her.

"He just brought up an old, sensitive subject before the bombs," he huffed. "Nothing I wish to share, not today anyhow. You still haven't answered my question though. Wrong or not, you seemed overly concerned about the matter. You've been looking at me all day as if you expect me to lunge at someone, and that's just annoying."

"You haven't thought about lunging at someone, have you?" she asked downright suspiciously.

"What? _No_! Stop avoiding the bloody subject, woman!"

"It's just… I don't want to add a second insult to you today, Dean," she frowned, moving away from the subject as well as Dean. He was quick with gently grabbing her arm though, pulling her back to where she had been standing.

"Heh, I can tolerate your insults, Ash, don't flatter yourself," he smirked, pointing to the chair in the small room. "Now, sit. You're going to speak, if I so have to drag it out of you."

"But I…-"

"_Sit._"

Ash sat, mostly because she knew he wouldn't drop it, but also because his tone of voice at the moment was hard to ignore, let alone defy. Her respect for him still ran deep it seemed, despite her teasing and cockiness. At least Dean sat down as well in the opposite chair, taking off his glasses and putting them in his chest pocket.

"Now what's this horrible insult?" he asked, looking back at her. Ash was almost wobbling back and forth, a bit nervously.

"Well… a normally calm and controlled ghoul who suddenly starts showing signs of random violence is… maybe a bit on the way towards the… feral side of things… ghouls," she said, slowly, as if reading from a book under mortal threat. Dean looked at her, closed to amused at her nervous attitude.

"Ah…" he said after a while. "Yes, I've heard of feral ghouls and where they come from. Now honestly, that is almost an insult worth mentioning because if I didn't lose my faculties in the Sierra Madre, I will hardly lose them out here. Besides… doesn't normally calm humans also resort to fights sometimes?"

"I guess."

"And they're not accused of going feral, are they?"

"No, but…-"

"You punched me. Does that make you feral?"

"No, I punched you because I was angry over your betraying me!" Ash was scowling now, partly because of the constant interrupts Dean was running with now.

"And I got angry with Bill, trust me, his insults are ten times worse than yours, my dear," Dean smirked smugly. Ash looked at him with a scowl still.

"What, Ash? Afraid I'll crawl into your bed at night, like a vampire and bite your neck?" Dean asked, amused at the sudden shock in Ash's face.

"Of course not, that's not what ferals do…" she said afterwards. "… What's a vampire anyway?" Dean actually facepalmed while sighing.

"Vampires used to be an old legend or myth, whichever you want to call it," he explained, mostly because he knew explaining it would make her scowling. "They would sneak up on people and feed on their blood, usually by biting them in the neck."

"That's a bit… disturbing," Ash arched an eyebrow, although it was interesting too. She knew he was trying to make her drop the subject about ferals and to be honest, it was working. But she didn't really want to discuss about ferals anyway… it was a subject that unnerved her more than it usually did.

"You're telling me you never heard any… 'scary' stories like that as a child?" Dean scoffed.

"My parents knew a lot of old pre-war stories, since my grandparents came from a vault… but none of them were about vampires. Or scary stories in general. You know any more detailed ones about them?"

"Do I look like a story teller to you?" For once, Dean actually regretted his fast, bitter reply that mostly came as a habit these days. Ash's expression had gone from casually hopeful to disappointed acceptance, probably because she knew he hardly expanded on what he said. He moved his head to the side for a moment, looking down at the floor sighing. He didn't want Ash to be disappointed with him at the moment, not with Angryl around. Ash's interest in anything pre-war was one of his only advantages he had against Angryl, among his superior intelligence and wit…

"If you're that bloody interested, I suppose I could refresh my memory for you. Just this once," he said as he looked back up at her, acting like an adult giving into a child's inquiries. Ash arched a surprised eyebrow, almost against her will, as she didn't want to look so damn interested.

"That's sweet of you," she smiled amused afterwards. "What's the catch?"

"Catch? There's no catch."

"There's always a catch with you, Dean…"

"Rubbish. I'm offering to share something of my life experience and you're complaining? Don't make me make up a catch, just because." Ash cracked a faint smile towards the floor, though it faded when she saw him rub his chin thoughtfully. Smiling or not, Dean plotting was something to be wary towards.

"Because it would certainly be something _cheeky_," he continued slowly, pausing to give her a look.

"How about you just… refresh your memory already and drop any cheeky thoughts?"

"I was about to when you started to question my generosity, my dear. Of course, I don't remember that detailed stories, since I never really paid much heed to… monsters and all those moronic things. But I suppose you'll take what you can get, eh?"

Ash got comfortable where she was sitting, pulling her loose jacket closer over her shoulders and hiding her arms and hands under it, while looking at Dean expectantly.

"Clearly," he continued, trying his best to ignore the innocent motion from her side. He wondered how a human could remain so innocent and at the same time kill humans left and right without much care. He cleared his throat, a small part of his well-trained, sub conscious warm up before using his voice for a longer time, though that was mostly for singing. He wasn't performing now, yet it felt… like a comfortable familiarity to have the attention of a rapt audience. So it didn't take long until he found the right pace and started to enjoy having Ash's sole attention. There were a lot of pauses as he spoke though, trying to recall the details of a story told over 200 years ago; he was sure he mixed several stories into one but it wasn't like Ash would notice the difference. Ash made sure to stick in a question or two when she could, being met with a genuine response from his side and it made her smile behind the jacket's collar every time. His elegant yet raspy voice was soothing to listen to and even though Dean proclaimed to not be a story teller, he could still enthrall people to listen just by speaking. No matter what he might say, he was enjoying this and it was with a sense of pride and intimation that she continued to listen, soaking up every detail.


	21. Actually impressed

The next morning was a moment of blurry confusion, blinking into the dirty and cracked wall a meter away from the bed. For one thing, Ash hadn't felt so rested in a long time and she wasn't sure how to explain that… maybe because Bill was officially out of her way now, where he couldn't bother her anymore. That alone shouldn't have been enough though because, for all she knew, he could have knocked the soldiers unconscious by now and be on his way back. She closed her eyes abruptly, where she was still lying on her side. She certainly had no wish to think about Bill anymore, so she turned over to her back, only to catch a figure in the bed out of the corner of her eye.

Much to her embarrassment she cried out in shock, reaching under her pillow with her hand, only to find there was nothing under there. Normally she always kept an extra weapon in the bed, but she hardly had any weapons at the moment to begin with. By the time she realized this though the male figure had already woken up, followed by a very familiar "_bloody hell_" in a startled response to her cry.

"Dean?" she muttered, first now recognizing the ghoul in his white shirt. She quickly pulled the blanket up to her chin, the confusion tripling about now. "Ok, I probably haven't woken up yet…" she continued, as she let her head fall back into the pillow.

"Are you saying you dream about me?" came his mocking reply, as he sat up, his side towards her, but he looked at her over his shoulder with an eyebrow lifted. She just looked at him until he reached over and pinched her hand, the only place he could pinch her really since she was clutching the blanket so close to her.

Ash felt the pinch alright and pulled the blanket over her head briefly, heaving a long sigh.

"No," she replied underneath the cloth, before pulling it down from her face again, holding to it. "Seriously, why are you in my bed?"

"You fell asleep in the chair, a quite uncomfortable position, so I carried you over here and then I didn't want to wake you up by fumbling with the old door," he explained, as if he had worked on that excuse for a while now. He corrected the shirt's collar casually, while she stared at him.

"It's not like we haven't shared a room before, you know?" he continued, giving her an amused look. "And for God's sake, stop clutching the blanket, you still got your clothes on." Ash's brow furrowed in near fury, before she sat up and let the blanket go, in order to get some order to her unruly hair.

"Sharing a bed is a different manner of thing," she said pointedly.

"Please… you sound like you haven't shared a bed with a man before," he laughed, before pausing to give her another look. "You have, right?" he asked instead, barely containing the wide grin as her face turned unmistakeably red, even if she did try her best to glare at him.

"I don't see how that's your business," she said slowly.

"I'll take as a no then."

"Of course I have! Don't flatter yourself, Dean! You're not the first!"

With that Ash turned around again, ignoring the question while looking for her boots almost frantically. She hadn't been awake for more than five minutes and the morning had already turned into a disaster. Mostly because of her own overreaction. If she had been smart, she would have been cool about it if it hadn't meant anything. Now it sounded like it did mean something! _Which it didn't_.

Ash groaned, putting her head in her hands for a moment; realizing that her thoughts made no sense at all before she felt Dean stand up. A quick glance told her that he still wore an amused smirk on his face, much to her dismay.

"Let's just… get some breakfast, shall we?" she asked, still annoyed as she stomped her feet into the boots, before heading to the door.

She hadn't expected to meet Angryl outside her door and judging by the startled look in his face, he hadn't expected to see them both depart from her room either. There was an awkward silence among all three, although Dean looked less bothered.

"What?" he asked tersely to Angryl who shook his head quickly.

"I could ask you the same," the man retorted. Dean frowned at his tone, making it casual though as to hide his real annoyance. He was tempted to tell the man to take a hike because Ash was already taken but such a lie would require the cooperation of Ash. And she didn't seem in the mood to agree to anything right now… especially when she mildly pushed past Angryl in order to head downstairs as soon as possible. The air had become too stifling for her taste. If Dean and Angryl had any issues with each other, they could damn well solve them on their own without involving her. In _any_ way. Angryl and Dean were both looking after her, before looking back to each other again, silently threatening each other. Dean smirked suddenly, tugging at the top of his shirt with both hands in a smug manner before walking past Angryl, forcing the other man to follow in behind him. Threatened by a ghoul… it was quite amusing and the irony wasn't lost on Dean. But he sure as hell wouldn't let that brute of a man take Ash from him, no matter what he thought about the girl himself.

Ash was already well on her way outside by now, blinking up at the sunlight. A few of Primm's inhabitants were walking about, minding their own business really. They had no reason to speak to either of them, and the supplies from Goodsprings would last them to Sloan at least. After that the Deathclaws would probably make short work of them anyway. She snorted at her own thoughts, looking back to see how far the others had come before making her way past the bridge and back on the main road that led to both Goodsprings and Sloan.

Mostly she had wished to walk in peace with no words uttered, but Angryl's curiosity had finally gotten the best of him as he walked up to her where she was hastily making her walk forward on the old road. He looked bothered to be honest, his face having worn a constant frown since bumping into them in the corridor.

"Let me guess, you wondered why Dean was in my room?" Ash said almost sharply, as the man seemed incapable of finding the words he wanted. At least Dean would have just blurted his issues out or retort with something clever, but Angryl's forte obviously wasn't this kind of communication.

"Well, admittin', it's a bit strange, yes," he finally said. Ash looked at him from the side, searching his face for any clues regarding his real thoughts on the matter.

"I mean, it's almost as if there's somethin' between you but that'd be… too weird," he continued with a short, low laughter. Ash turned her face forward immediately, looking grim for a moment.

"Because he's a ghoul?" Angryl arched an eyebrow at her direct question before shrugging.

"Of course," he said, looking puzzled now. "A woman such as you couldn't possibly find that… attractive? Unless you're one of those weird… fetish people." Ash gave him a sharp look, so he lifted his palms quickly.

"Of course you aren't, I didn't mean it that way," he apologized with a smile.

He had misunderstood her glare as offense and for now she was going to let him assume that too. It wasn't a fetish to enjoy the company of… deformed people, but she could tell he would need time to get used to the idea. Like so many other people did.

"He fell asleep in one of the chairs in the room," she explained instead. "We were discussing something pre-war and I simply fell asleep and he didn't want to wake me up." Hearing it voiced by herself made her sigh quietly afterwards. Her reaction to having found him in her bed shamed her now, as she had thought the _worse_ when he had really just been kind to her, in his own strange manner. The fact was she hadn't slept that well in ages… Bill's capture was one of the reasons, but now she wondered if Dean's close presence hadn't helped as well.

"Kind of him," Angryl said, not sounding too impressed though.

"He's a good friend," Ash said tersely. "I suggest you give him a chance since we'll be traveling together for a while." Angryl looked a bit bothered by the request, as if the very idea repulsed him.

"Fine. For you," he smirked afterwards, making a light bow with his head. Ash wasn't entirely convinced, realizing that once he was sure on something, he had no problems talking about it. But she had no interest in defending Dean further, she shouldn't have to. Not to say he was more than capable of doing it himself…

"Besides, he has interesting things to tell," Ash continued, her tone warming up a bit.

"Who does?" Dean asked, as he came up behind them, having had enough to standing in the sidelines; _that_ was something he did not at all enjoy.

"You," Ash smirked at him. "That… 'story' last night was quite entertaining."

"Stories won't save your life in a tight spot…" Angryl shook his head.

"Well, we can't all be born brutes, you know," Dean scoffed smugly. "Some of us actually rely on intelligence and speech."

"Yeah, as a ghoul that's all you have." Ash shot Angryl a look at that and he sighed annoyed, while Dean merely smirked wider.

"Give me ten minutes and I could convince you to stick your head in a beehive," he said, actually enjoying the mental image. Angryl glanced over at Ash, confused and not even sure whether he should be angry or not.

"Oh right. You don't know what bees are," Dean chuckled. "Forgive me."

Relying on old clever remarks around these two certainly didn't work.

* * *

><p>Sloan was, as expected, the same little mining town with just a few buildings and hardly worth mentioning or even putting on a map. It had always looked like a wreck compared to other settlements across the Mojave, but it seemed even worse than she had remembered. The area around the small, dirty buildings were scattered with debris and rusty barrels and the ground was covered in a light layer of dust or sand, with no signs of anything having passed for a while. The table outside the building that had worked as a café had tipped over, creating a little drift of sand next to it. Granted, her last visit here had been many months ago, but she couldn't see the miners actually abandoning the place, despite the Deathclaw threat they had been under. By now, the NCR should have helped them clear the beasts away since the quarry had been important to them. Instead the place looked straight out deserted.<p>

It was almost eerily quiet, until a sudden gust of wind swept over the area, bringing the sand and dust from the nearby quarry over them. Dean winced, as the sand was probably felt more on his already exposed skin but he said nothing, resorting to holding up his arm over his face instead until the worst had past.

"There's nothin' here," Angryl muttered uneasily.

"Well, there's sand…" Dean remarked quite unhelpfully, as Ash glanced back at him before focusing her attention back to the buildings again. Her instincts told her best to leave matters alone but if something had happened she wanted to check it out and see if there was anything they could do. She made a light finger gesture for them to follow her as she walked past the almost torn apart wooden fence, pulling up her shotgun from the belt, holding it with one hand for now, pointing it down to the dry ground.

"Shouldn't we just leave, Ash?" Dean suggested somewhere behind her, keeping his narrowed gaze on the whirling dust further off, a look of displeasure in his face. He knew by now that Ash had a hard time leaving things be; she had too good a heart for that unfortunately and her reply wasn't entirely unexpected.

"In a moment," she replied, as she slowly pushed open the door to the café. She hadn't expected the door to actually break off from its hinges and the sound of metal falling onto metal made their ears ring for several moments after. Ash immediately put her free hand up to her nose, once the stench of decay hit her, before she actually looked inside. She had expected darkness in the room, not full daylight that was shining in through a torn up hole in the back of the room. The almost glowing metal walls would have blinded her if it wasn't for the dried up patches of blood upon them. The corpse under the wall was lying in a position that suggested it had been violently thrown up against the wall.

"That's… unpleasant," Angryl said once he and Dean had caught up, looking over Ash's shoulder. "Has been here for a while though, judgnin' by the smell…" Angryl pushed past her and walked into the room before using his foot to roll the body over, revealing its actual cause of death. Four deep gashes across its chest was clue enough and Ash subconsciously placed her free hand over the scar on her neck, taking a step backwards only to bump into Dean who was looking at the corpse as well. Angryl was about to speak up when a low growl interrupted him, as everyone turned their attention to the hole in the room. An actual Deathclaw was peering at them with its small, cold eyes, its nose so close to the ground that every exhalation blew up the dust under it.

"I can't stress on how much we should leave," Dean mumbled anxiously through gritted teeth as he ushered Ash back from the door. Angryl started moving as well, darting back to the door opening. The whole building shook behind them as the Deathclaw shoveled its head into the hole for a few attempts until it realized that going around was a lot faster. With its hands almost sliding into the dirt it walked around the corner of the building, looking after the now running company. Its nostrils flared as it caught the scent of them, indicating that the creature was half blind before it suddenly kicked off in the dust, extending its hands to the sides in order to run properly.

The moment's seriousness had managed to keep Ash in reality still, as she took the lead while they were running out from the mining town and across the old high way. A quick glance over her shoulder alarmed her enough to force her body forward faster, until she spotted the larger cliffs to their right side. She steered off in that direction, trusting the others to follow, before she basically threw herself up on the tall cliffs, crawling on top of the rock. Once she was up, she turned around quickly, still lying on her stomach before she reached down towards the others. She wasn't worried about Angryl; the man in question was already climbing up on another side of the cliff nearby. Dean was her main concern and she was glad to see he had followed her route, only that he didn't have the luxury of being able to throw himself up an over two meter tall cliff like she had. The Deathclaw was closing up fast so there was no time to waste or think, as she slid closer to the cliff's edge, reaching down with her hand towards Dean who wasn't late to take it with some effort.

Shots were coming off a rifle behind her but she didn't care to look, assuming it was Angryl, especially when the Deathclaw stumbled a bit, roaring in dismay. Flakes of skin were literally blown off as the bullets hit it, giving Ash enough time to pull up Dean. Dean moved forward, forced to drag Ash with him because her grip around his hand hadn't loosened, so once they had made it a few meters he pulled her up properly, hoping she'd let go off him already. Mostly because her grip was tight and it actually hurt. She probably wasn't as unaffected by the Deathclaw's presence as her action first told. The ground they stood on almost shook as the Deathclaw impacted with the cliff before its claws latched onto the top of it, scratching the rock.

"We need to kill it, it won't give up," Angryl frowned at the other two, reloading the rifle in his hands while backing away from the creature. Dean, despite his lack of most skin, looked as pale as Ash although she wasn't even looking towards the Deathclaw anymore. Instead she was looking behind them, over the hill that marked the path that used to lead up to the old mutant hideout up there.

"There's a place we'll be safe," she said suddenly, gesturing for them to follow as she started running towards the hill, without further explanation. Angryl looked reluctant to turn his back on the beast that was still trying to claw its way up over the cliff and it'd succeed soon enough.

"Safe from a Deathclaw? What, a bunker?" Dean muttered while exhaling at the same time. Running like this wasn't really in his favor, either due to his ghoulish condition or smoking for 200 years. As in fact his voice hadn't sounded so strained in ages and all he could think of doing was following Ash. Mostly because he trusted her enough these days to go with her plans. He'd still complain about them though.

Ash didn't answer, mostly because while she was sure the place was safe enough, she wasn't too sure they'd get there in time. A quick glance over her shoulder, almost resulting in her tipping over in the process, told her that time now really was of the essence. The Deathclaw had finally managed to drag itself up on the cliff, a few patches of red on its skin a clear indication that Angryl's bullets had actually caused harm, which was really a plus on its own.

Climbing up the steep hill with a rather furious and noisy Deathclaw behind them, was enough motivation to actually make it up, even with Dean's half working knees. But it was no surprise that he was now in the rear, a place he most certainly didn't want to be in. He'd much prefer Angryl stayed back where he had been; for all he cared he would provide a decent distraction for the Deathclaw. A service to the world, quite frankly. The other two were already sliding down the hills other side, causing pebbles and dust to follow them in their wake. Dean had taken the stupid risk of checking behind him, as well as catching his breath once on top of the hill, inwardly cursing his aching knees.

"Blast it, I'd almost prefer being _eaten_ now," he grunted as he tried to get his footing right without risking rolling down the damn slope instead.

"Dean, who's going to point out all my wrongs if you die?" Ash called up to him, not even sure where she got the humor from at the moment. "Angryl?" Dean let out a loud scoff, stepping down on the slope, fairly sure that he would fall now but he wouldn't take Ash's… insult as the final words at his death. Especially not being compared to Angryl too.

Ash paused in the middle of sliding down the slope, waiting for Dean, although part of her wished she hadn't. The Deathclaws's ugly head was appearing at the top of the hill now and it would definitely slide down faster than the humans. Angryl had continued down, pausing surprised as he realized the ground ended just below the slope. There was a maybe three meter drop to the next ground level. He turned around to look after the others, pulling out the rifle from his back again as he spotted the Deathclaw above. He pulled the trigger and the Deathclaw dodged quickly as the bullet passed its head, leaving it with a startled growl, before it placed one foot on the already loose slope.

"Come on, Dean," Ash muttered, as she grabbed Dean's arm once they were at the bottom of the slope. She was anxious like hell, her face still pale and every muscle tense. This was developing into an all too familiar situation, one she hadn't been in for years and quite frankly it was terrifying. The only reason she hadn't succumbed to the fear was that the thought of Dean dying to the Deathclaw was more painful then her falling to it.

"Watch it," he hissed as she nearly pushed him in her eager to get away from the slope and the Deathclaw. "My knees are on the breaking point already, woman."

"Climb down," she ordered the both of them. "There's a door just to the left of here, in the cliff. Get to it." Dean looked down the three meter fall, frowning at it, before Angryl did as instructed, half climbing and half jumping down the cliff. Dean looked over his shoulder where Ash had pulled out the shotgun, noticing the ghoul's hesitation, as surprising it was to see. Dean usually wasn't late with running for shelter in these situations.

"_Now_," she told him sharply, forcing away her own doubt and gruesome images of her last lethal encounter of Deathclaws before aiming the shotgun towards the Deathclaw. Dean started climbing down the cliff, spotting Angryl already at the door Ash had told them about.

The small, yellow eyes of the Deathclaw were set on Ash as it was basically running down the hill, fairly sure it had caught its prey now; claws extended and mouth wide open. The sudden clutch of bullets being fired straight into its face was unexpected however, as the pain and shock threw it off balance, causing it to land face first into the loose dirt and pebbles almost in front of Ash who didn't really stay to watch the scene, already throwing the shotgun down below the fall, before jumping right down, making the landing easier by rolling. The sound of motion and growls above told her that the Deathclaw was far from dead and she wasn't surprised either; it took more than a shotgun of this kind to seriously injure a Deathclaw. She grabbed the dropped shotgun as she got up on her feet before following the other two through the door that Angryl had managed to get open, before slamming it shut behind them.

The door was solid, hopefully enough to withstand the punishment of a Deathclaw. Even so, they all three stood staring at the door for a long time, while catching their breaths, before Ash turned around to check on the small cave with another door a few meters further back. Gesturing for the others to follow, she went inside there, letting out a loud sigh of relief, as she could close the second door behind them. The posters on the walls, promoting the NCR gave the men a clue as to what the place really was.

"NCR hideout?" Angryl asked, as Ash nodded. "Good a place as any," he shrugged. The kitchen, being the nearest room, provided Dean with a chair so he could sit down and try and get over his very strong urge to not choke on the pain of his knees.

"I don't think I've been running for that long and in that kind of terrain for… many years," he muttered, lighting a cigarette, if only to calm his nerves.

"We're not done yet," Ash frowned. "The Deathclaw will probably wait us out. It obviously had been waiting back in the town."

"Deathclaws aren't that clever…" Angryl scoffed.

"You'd be surprised. Either way, it doesn't matter, because we can get help in here," Ash continued, gesturing around them before heading to a shelf covering the entire wall in the far end in the kitchen. Folded together pieces of armor and several ammo crates and even weapons were stashed on the wooden boards and Ash grabbed one of the leather looking armor pieces, pulling it down and revealing it to be a long cloak. She continued to grab more clothes before walking past the other two and into the room next to the kitchen; Angryl and Dean both looking after her.

"What is she doing?" Angryl sighed, somewhat impatiently.

"Knowing her? Armoring up," Dean shrugged amused, tapping the cigar to the chair's arm, letting the ashes fall to the wooden floor. Angryl frowned a bit before he walked over to the shelf as well, looking over the items in it. It was a few minutes later when Ash reappeared, dressed in the brown coat, as well as blue jeans and what seemed to be an armored shirt. Dean arched an eyebrow at her, while Angryl turned around, giving her an appreciating smile.

"I recognize that outfit…" Dean said slowly. "Saw some back in New Vegas…"

"NCR rangers," Ash shrugged. "I needed new clothes and this is as good as any."

"That kind of clothin' will attract trouble for sure… among other things," Angryl sneered a little, causing Ash to roll her eyes.

"Not many willingly attack a ranger. Only glory hounds," she retorted. "Not too many of them out here. Besides, I needed new clothes… I suggest we get something to eat while waiting for the Deathclaw. If we're lucky we won't have to face it when we go back out, although I doubt it."

Angryl started looking about in the kitchen before opening the cupboards, as if looking for food. Ash pondered helping him but she figured he could handle it alone as she walked into the other room that served as a bedroom for several people, followed by Dean. She quickly got to folding together her old clothes, checking their pockets so she didn't forget something important, well aware of Dean's presence.

"I'm actually impressed, Ash," he started suddenly, inspecting the cigarette between his fingers. She paused briefly, holding her old shirt in her hands as she looked at him before continuing.

"By what?" she asked.

"You… lack of reaction to the Deathclaw. Considering you basically froze the last time you saw one," he shrugged, dropping the cigarette to the floor to put it out with his foot.

"Uh… thanks?"

"And now you actually want to take it on, despite the fact we could wait it out in here?"

"I don't think either of us wants to stay in here for longer than necessary. Besides, I have killed Deathclaws before. I just don't like… being pressured with them. We were already in trouble before we got into that cave…" Ash said, as she finished with what she was doing, going to walk past him in the doorway. She was stopped as he suddenly put his hand on her shoulder, a somewhat serious expression on his face.

"I'd suggest being… careful at least," he frowned at her. "Bravery is all good and well, but I'd hate to see you get killed because of something that idiotic."

"Cute, Dean, but I'll be fine," Ash smirked as she grabbed his hand to pull it off her shoulder. It was an odd sensation really; like touching rough leather instead of actual skin. First after a few seconds did she realize she had lingered with her hand on top of his, so she gently dropped it off her shoulder so she could move past him with a quick smile, before heading back to the kitchen.

* * *

><p><strong>First, I hate making excuses, but Mass Effect 3 has been constantly on my mind the last weeks. It's kinda distracting to get back into a complete other game series and focus again. xD I'm glad I managed to produce a chapter before ME3's release at least. <strong>

**Secondly, Dean's current state aaaannnnoys me, because it's a new area. We never saw anything like this ingame so it's all about improvising and I'm still learning about that, so hopefully I didn't butcher his character (again)**

**Now I made excuses anyway. I'm sorry for the delay, guys. :(**

**(I'm aware the NCR hideout looks differently, but by the time I noticed I had already written the chapter. Let's just pretend it got an upgrade!)**


	22. I'll punch you too

Dean watched after Ash as she wandered back into the kitchen, lowering his eyebrows, or what was left of them, in a frown. Now he was vocally expressing his concern like some idiot: a childish behavior to say the least. He flexed his hand, moving his gaze to it instead and with a continued frown. It wasn't often the thought of his ghoulification crossed the surface of his mind, but when it did, it left him with a dismal feeling.

Idiotic.

He went into the kitchen as well, just in time to see Angryl serve up something beige and pasty into three bowls. It seemed warm, but very inedible as well. Ash put a spoon in it, having to use some effort to actually pull it out again, before she arched an eyebrow at Angryl.

"Don't look at me; I haven't eaten this crap before. Ask him, it looks about as old as he is," he shrugged, pointing with his spoon towards Dean.

"Are you trying to insult my taste? Because you're not doing a good job of it," the ghoul replied coolly, although he frowned at the food in dislike. "For that matter, I haven't seen this before. Are you sure it's even food, because I don't know if you have learned to re -."

"Let's just hope it is edible, alright?" Ash interrupted him, putting her hand over Dean's arm. He scoffed, although the touch was a bit unexpected and that alone made him drop the argument.

They ate in silence, probably due to the fact that the food was difficult to chew, before Ash stood up, reaching for the sniper rifle she had placed against the wall behind her.

"I'll check if the Deathclaw's still hanging around or not," she said, as she checked the weapon's scope, when Angryl suddenly stood up as well, gesturing for her to sit back down.

"Relax, I can do that," he said coolly. "You could need the rest."

Ash arched an eyebrow, not even sure why his suggestion annoyed her. Raul had said such things before and she had just nodded in agreement but somehow it just sounded different with Angryl. She looked after him as he left for the door, before glancing at Dean who merely shrugged.

"Maybe the vicious beast grabs him?" he said afterwards, barely containing the amused smirk.

"You really don't like him, do you?" Dean snorted amused as he put away the bowl of food, before giving her a proper look. There it was again, that cold, calculated determination of his.

"No, I don't," he said flatly. Ash had no desire to ask more; because she got the feeling it was a subject that'd quickly annoy him. And to be honest, she wasn't sure she disagreed with him either.

Angryl came back; his rifle hanging over his shoulder again, oblivious to their discussion and Dean had easily put on a neutral expression again, aided by his dark glasses.

"The Deathclaw seems to have given up," Angryl announced. "It's not out there."

"That would be surprisingly lucky," Ash frowned, as she wandered out of the kitchen as well, before approaching the door. She sort of expected to see a Deathclaw's face planted against the door as she carefully opened it a tiny bit. It was difficult to determine how right Angryl was when you were looking through a gap smaller than a finger. She involuntarily jumped as Angryl had basically snuck up behind her and grabbed hold of the door to pull it open a bit more while smiling amusedly at her. Due to her fear of Deathclaws she took a step backwards when the gap widened enough to fit a Deathclaw hand if necessary, frowning over at Angryl.

"Will you let me handle it?" she asked tersely, too used to being the one in control, the one scouting and the one making the decisions. Angryl was poking around in _her_ business.

"I'm not sure why you're so nervous, lass… Deathclaws are difficult beasts to deal with but they're no masters of stealth," he shrugged. "If it was still out there, it'd be lurkin' just outside the door. Not hidin'."

"Like it did back at town?"

Angryl looked at her doubtfully.

"It was probably just sleepin' outside and we woke it up," he shrugged afterwards.

"If Ash says the… beasts are dangerous, then they are," Dean said as he came up to them, giving Angryl a less mild look.

"It's ridiculous to assume it'd be out there, waitin'!"

"Why don't you head out there then, check around every corner and lift every rock?" Dean suggested, gesturing out towards the landscape beyond the door. Angryl gave him an annoyed look, before he grabbed the rifle on his back, proceeding to head right out the door. Ash sighed as she took a step backwards, looking at Dean.

"What? Better him than us, right?" the ghoul scoffed.

Angryl was already a good bit outside, standing in the sun and looking around. Some dust flew around in the wind but otherwise things seemed calm. Ash dared to peer out through the door, when something large suddenly rounded around one of the cliff corners, racing at full speed towards Angryl with a roar. It was definitely the same Deathclaw and its mood hadn't improved since last time.

Ash had quickly retreated back behind the door without shutting it, as Angryl was forced to make a run for it, _away _from the door.

"Should have seen that coming," Dean muttered, standing securely behind the door by now. "Should we make a run for it while he acts the bait?"

"Dean!"

"Just an idea, no need to get all touchy about it."

"Stay here."

Dean flinched as Ash ran out through the door, holding the shotgun close along her side. Idiot or not, she wouldn't leave Angryl in the Deathclaw's hands, none deserved such a fate. The dust had barely settled since the Deathclaw's charge so she had no choice but to follow its path.

"Angryl!" she called out, hoping for an answer if only to get an idea of his location. He didn't reply but instead she heard a rifle being fired somewhere ahead, although the echo was surprising. The next moment she found herself nearly running right into a rock wall, with the cliff sides stretching up around her, except for one side where they had formed almost like stairs. The dead end would explain the echo and judging by the loud shuffling nearby she had to be close. She had barely climbed up the low rock formation when a tail swung too close for comfort, as the Deathclaw was backing right towards her unknowingly. Angryl had climbed up on another rock, out of reach from the furious Deathclaw, as it dodged the hastily fired shots from him.

Ash moved a few steps backwards abruptly to avoid the tail, before aiming the shotgun towards the beast who was busy growling after Angryl. She quickly pulled it back though, realizing that if she shot it now, it'd just turn around to kill her. Instead she moved backwards, rather glad that the dust had settled so she could fully see now. Not too far away she could spot the door, but she couldn't see Dean anywhere.

"What are you waitin' for? Shoot it!" Angryl called out, as he barely managed to dodge the Deathclaw's hand slashing after his feet. Ash didn't answer, not entirely sure what to do when she spotted Dean further off, watching some boulders on the same cliff they had jumped down earlier to avoid the Deathclaw. Instead of answering Angryl, she headed over to Dean, jumping down to the ground where he stood.

"Please tell me you have a plan, that's your area of expertise, after all," she sighed, catching her breath.

"I don't much appreciate wasting effort on trying to save that idiot's ass, but if I don't, you'll get yourself killed because of him," Dean snorted in reply, before he pointed up towards the boulders.

"I believe those can be toppled over. Should be enough to at least stop the Deathclaw," he continued, as Ash followed his finger, arching an eyebrow.

"Risky but it'll work," she sighed, putting her hand on his shoulder, as she glanced back towards Angryl. The touch was subconscious really, a motion of a good job done that she'd give to anyone else in her team.

"Make sure you and Angryl focus on the boulder, I'll try to get the Deathclaw in the right position," she said, as Dean gave her a look.

"Let him act as the bait instead," he frowned, gesturing towards Angryl with his head.

"How about you two just go along for once?"

"How about you stop being so bloody nice all the time?"

"Just do it, Dean. Call for me when you're ready." Dean didn't get much further chance to protest much to his annoyance when she darted off, in the opposite direction of him.

The Deathclaw had given up on clawing after Angryl now, as it was pushing on the rock he stood on instead, trying to topple it over. A bullet suddenly struck it right over its shoulder, causing it to roar in anger, as it looked around to find its attacker. Ash had already made a run for it, making sure that the monster actually saw her though. Certain it had found easier prey, it stormed after her at once, allowing Angryl to jump down from the rock, looking a little shaken.

"Get up here, you idiot," Dean called out to him. "We don't have all day." The ghoul had already made his way up to the boulder, still surprised at his speed of climbing but something had certainly fueled him.

"There's some plan to this?" Angryl asked though he didn't really waste time climbing up after Dean, looking out over the area once he had done so.

"There is. We're going to drop this lovely boulder on top of the Deathclaw," the ghoul explained, tapping the rock lightly with his hand. Hopefully the smaller boulders around the large one would just follow along.

"That's the plan?" Angryl's face was full with doubt.

"Is pushing a boulder too bloody difficult for you to comprehend?"

Dean didn't bother to check what reaction his words had gotten, as he looked out over the area as well.

"Ash?" he called out afterwards, rather glad his voice could still carry that well to be heard over distances. "We're ready!"

"This is ridiculous," Angryl muttered; as he put his hands on the boulder as well, looking out after Ash.

Ash heard Dean call out well enough, but getting the Deathclaw to stand under the right cliff was going to be difficult. The plan had sounded better before they had actually started it. Yet it was the best one they had, since neither carried weapons that would easily kill the Deathclaw. It was too late for regrets anyway, considering it was racing after her. Its old injuries seemed to be a bit of a bother though, as it sometimes knocked its shoulder into the sides of the cliffs, or then it was really just desperate to actually reach its prey.

She made a sudden turn; wincing as she felt the Deathclaw's claws graze her left out-stretched hand. The Deathclaw couldn't react as fast to the sudden movement, as it almost slid over to its stomach, before darting after her again, roaring. Her risky action had given her a straight line back to the others and a quick glance to her hand told her the injury wasn't deep and she could still flex her fingers as she ran.

Both Dean and Angryl tensed when they saw her run back towards them, passing the safe house's door before she came to a halt right under them.

"This is going to be very precise," she told them, as the Deathclaw rounded the corner further away, making its way to her. She held her gaze steadfast on it, as it suddenly jumped at her, claws extended and jaws open.

Ash jumped to the side in time, surprised at her speed in doing so, but she still felt the thud when the Deathclaw jumped right into the cliffside. It gathered itself quickly enough to turn towards her, when the rumbling sound continued. It shrieked suddenly as the first boulder landed right on its back, forcing it to the ground quickly with an unpleasant crunch. A few more large rocks followed, immobilizing it further as well as kicking up dust everywhere.

Once the dust had settled, the air filled with a low, strained growl, Ash removed her arm from her face. She quickly looked down towards the Deathclaw, still ready to run away again if needed. Its head was turned away from her, but the large rocks covering most of its body made it clear that it wasn't going to move anytime soon. Two thuds nearby told her that the other two had joined her on the ground and Dean walked over to her while Angryl moved towards the Deathclaw.

Ash quickly unsheathed the shotgun from her back, holding it readily in her right hand. The Deathclaw moved its head upon the movement, its yellow eyes fixing on Angryl before it roared loudly, stretching every muscle in its neck to try and reach him. Even the rocks over its body moved a bit.

"Interestin'," Angryl smirked, scratching the stubble over his cheek, ignoring the clawed hands that were flailing just above the ground, still held down by the rocks.

"A subdued, injured Deathclaw," he continued towards Ash who arched an eyebrow. "Just me seein' the possibilities there?"

"There's no possibilities with these things," Ash said darkly, as Angryl slowly waved his hand in front of the Deathclaw's face, on a safe distance. It roared again, definitely trying to reach his hand. Several of its teeth were broken apart and generally foul looking but still sharp enough to cause damage. Its skin was riddled with old scars among the fresh wounds. One could wonder how old it really was, how much animalistic experience was hiding in its head.

"How can you say that, lass? How much do you think any scientist would pay us for bringin' back a live Deathclaw?" Angryl persisted.

"Nothing!" Ash snapped. "Nothing good would come of this! It tried to kill you not long ago for that matter!"

"You can't just ignore it…!"

"How long are you going to persist with that childish behavior?" Dean scoffed towards Angryl, folding his arms across his chest.

"Why are you lookin' at me for? She's doing the same, as in fact she's the one bein' unreasonable," Angryl sighed.

"Unlike you, she has something called a brain," Dean continued flatly. "Do yourself a favor and trust her judgment."

Despite feeling angsty with a twitching Deathclaw nearby and Angryl's persistence, Ash had to smile at Dean taking her side in this. His tone really said that Angryl was falling further and further down his tolerance level though, which maybe wasn't good but right now she welcomed it. For a somewhat seasoned adventurer, Angryl had some crazy ideas about making money.

"I have a brain… and it tells me to make use of this opportunity," Angryl rolled his eyes as he stretched up again, looking towards the hideout. "It won't even be a problem… I bet the hideout has some ropes… if I could…"

Ash moved towards the Deathclaw suddenly, ignoring the fact it tried to bite at her too, as she paused behind its head. Dean merely lifted one of his hands to his chin, watching with an intrigued look. He certainly wasn't going to get involved in their little squabble but at the moment Ash moved with such a cold determination that he had to admit to being impressed. And curious as to what her intention was.

He had not expected her to suddenly aim her shotgun right at the Deathclaw's head and load a pack of bullets into its brain, splattering blood all over the place.

"What are you doin'!" Angryl called out once he realized what she had done, watching her rest the shotgun to her shoulder.

"Making sure you don't make any mistakes, Angryl. You should thank me," she said coolly.

"Are you insane, lass?" Angryl huffed.

"Deathclaws cannot be used at pets!" Ash roared suddenly. "They're monsters!" She pushed away the hair from her neck, showing the claw mark that went along her neck and throat, glowing red in the sunlight. "They're the reason I left home and the reason I took this path and then got shot in the head. So maybe I am a bit insane, Angryl. But you're free to leave at any moment if traveling with us doesn't suit you."

She sheathed the shotgun behind her back, as she walked past them both, before turning halfway to look at Angryl.

"And stop calling me lass, else I'll punch you too," she frowned annoyed, before continuing back to the hideout.

Dean rubbed his neck a bit awkwardly knowing well how it felt to be punched by Ash. Angryl was staring after her, before he looked over at Dean who immediately stopped rubbing his neck, looking somber enough.

"She's got some fire," Angryl shook his head amused, his voice filled with admiration really.

"She does…" Dean said, lifting his upper lip briefly in a snarky expression, not too happy with Angryl's choice of words or tone. Hell, he didn't like it at all when someone else showed interest in Ash. That was his privilege.

"Even if she did ruin a good business plan…" Angryl continued as he looked towards the Deathclaw, heedless to Dean's seething inside.

"Why, of course… because tying up a beast that resembles a devil, is such a clever business plan," Dean said drily, as he walked back towards the hideout as well, having no intention to remain alone in Angryl's company longer than necessary.

There was no sign of Ash once he got back into the safe house but he could hear someone shuffling about in the room with the beds in it. Angryl was right after him, hearing the same thing and when the young man continued walking towards that room, Dean tapped his shoulder lightly.

"Where do you think you're going?" he asked coolly, as Angryl looked over his shoulder at him.

"Goin' to see if she needs help with that wound? I suppose it's partly my fault she got it."

"Oh, that is true," Dean rolled his eyes. "But do you honestly think she wants to see you right now? Or perhaps you really do want to get punched?"

"I'd like to see her try really… would be… interestin," Angryl smirked but Dean didn't change his serious expression.

"No," he simply said. "I'll go see if she needs help. You can go and do what you do best, which isn't delicacy."

With that Dean wandered past him, leaving Angryl looking disgruntled in the corridor and Dean made sure to shut the door behind him as he entered the bedroom. Ash looked up briefly where she was sitting, her expression still annoyed even if it softened a bit as soon as she saw Dean.

"Good… thought you were Angryl first…" she huffed, busy with digging around in an old first aid kit that she had pulled down from the nearby wall.

"He was well on his way in here. I did you a favor and… suggested he didn't come in," Dean said amused, casually brushing off his fingers to his chest.

His eyes wandered to her injured left hand, where the dark red blood dripped down, creating a disturbing contrast with the brightly colored floor.

"How bad is it?" he asked.

"Looks worse than it is. Its claws only grazed the skin. Good that, else I'd probably be sitting here with a nonfunctional hand," she replied as she pulled up a small water bottle from her own bag. After a short moment of looking at it as if pondering how to open it without her left hand, she tucked it between her thighs and pulled the lid off with her right hand.

"So…" Dean started slowly, pulling off his glasses to put them in the chest pocket. "Am I right in assuming that Deathclaws are the reason why you 'left home'?"

Ash paused with what she was doing, looking up at him a bit confused.

"You actually remember what I said about my past?" she asked, sounding genuinely surprised, something that bothered him a bit. He sat down at the bed opposite to her, resting his arms on his knees and his hands held together while he watched her.

"Obviously," he said a bit snidely, though his changed his tone quickly. "My mind's perfectly fine, you know," he continued, knocking on his head briefly, glad to see the very faint smile on her face.

"Of course… sorry," Ash sighed afterwards, turning her attention back to the first aid kit.

"So, am I right?"

"What if you are?"

"Well, then I'll have a better understanding of your hatred for Deathclaws. And I might better help you with it."

Ash rolled her eyes, handing him a nicely rolled together ball of bandages, before carefully pouring water over her injured hand, washing away most of the blood before wiping the rest away with a piece of cloth. The gashes were not very deep, just broad enough to make it look way worse than it was, especially in comparison to her skin.

"There's no way to cure that deep a hatred, Dean. You of all people should know that," she simply said.

"We've been through this before. You usually need to talk about things that happened to you." When she just looked at him, he sighed loudly. "I actually want to hear," he said afterwards, wondering if that'd make her less reluctant. He unrolled the bandage ball suddenly, gesturing for her wounded hand with his palm open. She arched an eyebrow at him.

"I hate to admit it but during the years I became pretty good at bandaging hands," he admitted with a slightly perturbed look. She placed her hand in his, as he started to wrap the white cloth around her wrist to start with. Dean was correct in that she preferred to talk about things she went through but this particular thing she already had talked about. Angryl had just struck a nerve on an already bad day, which explained her outburst.

"You miscalculated the explosives that much?" she asked amused.

"A bit," Dean said slowly, giving her a mild look in warning of pushing it, while he continued along her hand. "Also you're avoiding the subject."

"Maybe I am. I appreciate the thought, Dean, but I am fine. Whatever happened, it was just… meant to be, simple as that. No amount of pondering will change that."

"Just meant to be… don't tell me you believe in that whole fate

rubbish?"

"Sometimes, I guess. It makes difficult times easier to accept."

"Well, I am glad that is not my view then. To not be in control of your own life is preposterous. My success in my life was entirely my own, not some… unknown entity's." That someone or something else would decide what his life was going to be about was not only disturbing but also a bit frightening. It screamed lack of control, something Dean hated.

"Staying in the Sierra Madre for 200 years was a stellar choice of life then, Dean…" Dean had to glance at her to make sure she wasn't serious; else he would probably have been a bit offended. Her faint smile however said otherwise.

"You should be glad I did, else we'd never have met," he replied, making her arch an eyebrow amused. He had a point there to be honest.

"Meant to be?" she teased him.

"Stop that."

He turned her hand to the side, inspecting the bandage, holding her wrist in a steady grip meanwhile. Ash tilted her head to the side a bit, watching him curiously, at least until he let go of her hand. She pulled it back, flexing her fingers carefully.

"Thanks," she smiled.

"You're welcome," Dean nodded. "What's our next move?"

"To be honest I think it's best if we stay here tonight. It's afternoon and we won't reach a better hideout between here and New Vegas again."

"We're that close?"

"Yes and… no. We'll be there in two days or so if everything goes as planned. But we still have to go near the Fiends' territory."

Dean scoffed lightly. "Splendid, more crazy people," he said, rolling his eyes.

"Refreshing after a Deathclaw, I believe."

* * *

><p><strong>Mostly filler chapter for Angryl's sake.<strong>

**Sorry for slowness! .  
><strong>


	23. Collapsing matters

_The air inside the dark, grey corridor was stuffy and moist; difficult to breathe. It was even difficult to see anything, with the gases seeping up from the ventilations in the floor and the few lamps along the upper walls blinking._

_Clanging noises echoed further ahead, as the corridor opened up into a room. From the other end of the room, Ash was suddenly thrown into the doorway, but she was quickly up on her feet again, turning to face the rusty, large robot that had done the same thing. It was already lifting its arm, with the inbuilt gun, when Ash ran towards it, picking up a metal pole from the floor in the process. Using all her strength she slammed it towards the robot's arm, forcing it to the side briefly. A few shots were fired from behind them, as the robot's back started smoking, causing the whole machine to shut down with a whirring sound. _

"_Was wondering when you'd find a good spot to fire at…" Ash sighed amused, as she poked the robot with the metal pole, just to be safe. From the other end of the room, Raul stepped forth, holstering his pistols again._

"_Who am I to question your plans, boss?" he pointed out amusedly. "Are you alright? You took quite a beating…" he continued, putting his foot on the robot's chest, inspecting it briefly._

"_Just some bruises… I'll live," Ash replied as she moved away, going to pick up the hunting rifle she had dropped earlier. Raul was busy pulling out a small device from the robot's broken panel in the back, tucking it in his pocket, before following her, further into the other corridors._

* * *

><p>Ash opened her eyes slowly, staring up at the roof while finding herself almost smiling. It was nice to wake up feeling content for once, even happy. She looked to the sides where the other two were sleeping, noting that Dean had picked a bed that was as far away from Angryl as possible. Or maybe they had both agreed on it. She sat up quietly, letting her bandaged hand rest in her lap, as she scratched her head. It stung a bit from the wound, but Dean had a done a good job with the bandaging, since it hadn't gone up during the night.<p>

She started the day with heading outside, immediately checking towards where they had left the Deathclaw. She walked over there as well, although its presence didn't affect her otherwise good mood. It was certainly still dead and during the night animals had to have eaten from it since the wounds were wider than before. Not sparing it a second glance, she wandered among the cliffs, keeping her eyes open for any problem but also for anything edible that was fresh. She really didn't want to eat more of that 200 year old food from the safehouse. Fresh food had always been preferable to her.

After having gathered some fresh plants, she placed herself on one of the cliffs, looking out over the landscape with the scoped rifle. Now in the morning, the warm weather was at its most tolerable, leaving her mind to wander off at the clear sky above. Somehow, she still noticed the movement not too far off, pulling off a shot right onto the unexpected small mole rat. The sound of a shot spooked off the rest of the little pack, leaving the dead one alone so Ash could step up to it and cut off the best pieces of meat. The meat itself was tough and didn't taste all that good, but it was at least fresh and healthier than one'd expect.

One her way back to the safehouse she got the distinct feeling of being watched, making her pause several times to look over her shoulder and in general watch the landscape around her. When nothing seemed to show itself once she opened the door to the safe house she decided that paranoia had gotten the better of her, blaming the whole Deathclaw event.

So she quickly went to working on the food, rather glad none of the men had woken up yet. It was easiest to just mix it all into a pot of boiling water, as it'd serve as a steady breakfast. If they were fast and nothing unexpected happened, they'd be within safe territories by the end of the evening, maybe night. While traveling in the dark in the Mojave was dangerous, once you were past McCarran there was usually enough light from fires or lamps to safely make it to New Vegas.

She couldn't help but feel bit dismay when thinking about the journey's end, because… she wasn't sure what to make of Dean. She had no doubt he'd stay in New Vegas, mostly because traveling to another 'civilized' place would be difficult for him and while she was happy for that… it also made her uneasy. She didn't really want to touch the subject as to _why_ it made her uneasy because that alone was disturbing as well. And nothing she'd work towards because she didn't want to alienate Dean by trying to get too close to him. Even if he hadn't exactly been keeping distance between them either.

Ash went to sit at the table while waiting for the stew to finish, when she heard some shuffling sounds from the other room, causing her to look up surprisingly eagerly. When she saw Angryl appear in the doorway, she had to hide the wave of disappointment coming over her. Not to say her own shock at feeling that too. The disappointment had almost been palatable.

The man hadn't noticed anything, as he ran his hand through his hair, looking towards the pot.

"You can cook too?" he asked, as he looked to Ash, who shrugged, though she sat back in the chair, when he sat down opposite to her.

"Woman of many talents I see," he smiled towards her, actually leaning forward with his arms folded at the table, as if responding to her distance taking. When she didn't respond, he sighed.

"Still mad about yesterday?" he continued, as she slowly arched an eyebrow.

"Look, I don't want to start a fight. I may not agree with your… decision but you're right about one thing. This is your trip, not mine," he continued, lifting his hands, palms outwards. "The last thing I want is a pretty woman upset at me," he added with a wink.

"That's your idea of flirting?" Dean's voice came from the doorway, looking at them both.

"I'm not…" Angryl started but Dean interrupted him just by entering the room and making a dismissive gesture with his hand.

"Please, anyone can see through it," he said coolly, as in fact his voice was unusually strained, as if he was holding something back. Ash arched an eyebrow. If she didn't know any better, Dean seemed incredibly miffed with Angryl's flirting. She knew he was a bit possessive, to say the least, but this was… different somehow. And it was causing an annoying fluttering feeling in her stomach.

She was actually thankful over the excuse to check on the pot, fishing out the three washed bowls from out of the sink to fill them with the stew. She handed one each to the other two, before sitting back down, pulling up the map in her pip-boy while eating. Dean came over to her, putting his hand on her chair's back, while leaning over her a bit to look at the map, after having sent a glare towards Angryl.

"Are we at least close to New Vegas now?" he asked her, as she pointed on the map.

"Yep," she replied. "Fiends it is. Let's hope they are in an agreeable mood. Which means, not pumped on drugs."

* * *

><p>The sun was higher up once they left the safe house for the last time and Dean corrected the sunglasses over his face, frowning up at the sun. Pretty much all of them looked over at the Deathclaw, before Ash started to move towards the large area of ruins and buildings, just beyond the plain ahead of them. Holding the old sniper rifle to her shoulder, she looked around plenty enough. She still had the feeling of being watched: it sat like a nail in the back of her head.<p>

Dean had been trying to smoke while they walked but he had given up on that now since Ash's twitchy movements kept interrupting him. He had learned quickly already in the Sierra Madre that such behavior from her meant she was nervous or at unease about the situation. Personally he couldn't see anything so he couldn't help but wonder if paranoia had finally caught up with the girl. Instead he had tucked his hands down the coat's pockets, looking somewhat miffed. Especially when Angryl tried to break the silence by telling Ash something obvious about their situation or generally asking her things about herself. The girl turned him down every time, too busy with keeping an eye out, which made Dean smirk amused to himself.

They had reached the first buildings now, all torn down by age and raiders. The few signs of former inhabitants were all from worn down furniture and old paintings still clinging to the walls like a bad memory. Hell, the brick houses themselves looked ready to fall apart at any moment.

A shotgun shot, followed by a small explosion made them all jump, before Ash darted off towards where the shot had impacted with something. After looking over a few corners without seeing anyone, she finally saw what had been hit by the shotgun and to be honest it stunned her for a moment. There was a smoking securitron lying by one of the buildings.

"Angryl, take watch," she told the man without waiting for an answer, as she ran over there, keeping an eye out for the machine's attackers at the same time. The screen on the securitron was still flickering a bit, showing a very familiar face on it.

"Victor?" Ash dried the screen off from dust with her hand; fairly certain it was his cowboy face appearing. She got no response though as the robot shut down suddenly. More out of instinct than anything else, Ash shook it once before cursing out loud. She turned it over, watching the shotgun damage to its back and it seemed to have been on a pretty close distance as well. Dean stood behind her, looking thoughtful but also perplexed by something.

"Did it… just die?" he asked, wondering at Ash's lack of real concern. Especially when he knew how much she valued her friends, live beings or robots.

"No," she replied, as she stood up, holding her shotgun along her leg. "Victor has a security protocol that allows him to transfer between different securitrons if he's injured. His presence explains why I've… been feeling watched since we left the safe house."

"Sure that's not Angryl?"

Dean's voice was entirely flat and sour, so Ash allowed herself to smirk briefly at his tone. She could even see his eyebrow muscles push down in a glare back, despite the glasses.

"When I first traveled to New Vegas, Victor was… very adamant with making sure I got there alive, by following me," she explained, gesturing for him to follow back to where Angryl was keeping watch.

"So I am not entirely surprised if he's been following us since Goodsprings too. Or have been waiting here with another securitron since we left Goodsprings, who knows with his jumping among them."

"And you're… alright with a giant robot stalking you?"

"I think it's just Mr. House, who wants an eye on me. I'll just assume it's some kind of show of care from his side, rather than distrust his attention."

"You know, you just managed to make the whole 'I am being stalked by a robot' sound even worse, Ash," Dean sighed, almost dejected.

"You're stalked by robots too now?" Angryl intervened since he had overheard their conversation by now.  
>"Doesn't matter…" Ash rolled her eyes, as she motioned for them to continue on their old path quickly. "What does matter is that there's a shotgun-wielding person somewhere, who's not very friendly towards securitrons and probably not us either. Stay in the open."<p>

"Great plan, partner!" Dean exclaimed. "There's no such thing as 'open' here. Actually it's about as roomy as in the Sierra Madre."

"I suppose we should be happy the Ghost people didn't have shotguns then, huh?"

"What are you two on about…?"

"Very long story," Ash replied to Angryl's question, because he looked confused to say the least.

They had barely made any way, along the broken old road, when chaos came loose. Suddenly there seemed to be shots fired from everywhere, as all three were forced to pull their weapons, diving to any kind of cover which happened to be some old road blocks along the road's side.

The attackers running between the old buildings further away were definitely Fiends, considering their rough and dirty clothes. But they weren't in their usual terrifying speed and strength, nor were they attacking head on.

Without their drugs they were no match for the three they had attacked and they probably knew this as well. The Fiends retreated quickly in among the buildings but not before one of them had tossed something small in their way. Ash wasn't really going to take the risk and see what they had tossed, assuming right away it was an explosive of some sort. She grabbed Dean's arm, pushing him ahead of herself, as a matter of habit frankly.

Despite narrowingly avoiding the following explosion, a strange rumbling sound continued even afterwards, as Ash was sure the ground was trembling under her feet. It was with a rather frightening sound that the ground below them suddenly collapsed into nothing. Ash immediately grabbed the ground in front of her, feeling her fingers dig into the hard and still stable material, to the point of being painful. Until a chunk of the rock was torn loose from the already weak edge, forcing her hand down. It gave her a chance to see the hole below her, as her whole body had almost been turned to the side and she winced as it seemed to be going down like a slope, giving her no view of the others. She turned around, her loose hand flailing after the edge when she felt the edge break apart further under her fingers.

Much to her surprise someone grabbed her loose hand in a steady grip, allowing her to use the new support and change her other grip up to steadier ground. She didn't get a chance to look up to see who it was before they grabbed her coat's back, dragging her up further until she was on safe ground. Lying on her side and holding herself up with her left elbow, her right one already traveled to the side of her leg, where she kept a knife, just in case.

"There's no need for that, boss."

Startled, Ash looked up, seeing Raul kneel next to her, his hand on her shoulder. She stared for a few moments, before allowing herself to half cough and laugh down into the dirt below her.

"You have no idea how happy I am to see you," she said, as he helped her stand up, concern in his face.

"No kidding," he said, his tone growing serious, especially when Ash looked back down the hole, brushing herself off. Now that her own immediate danger had passed and the shock had faded, worry popped right back up. She had no idea if either Angryl or Dean were still alive, even less where they had ended up.

"Damn," she muttered as she crouched down by the edge, noticing that Raul quickly took a hold of her coat, just in case she'd slip down. There was no protest from his side, as he was already well used to her ideas and impulses. He was simply there to watch over her back.

"Dean?" Ash called down in the hole. "Angryl?" There was no response, except an unnerving echo but she saw something along the slope's edges right before the next part of the hole turned pitch black. A greyish material covered the edges down there, a material she had seen too many times for her taste. She stood up again, pulling up her pip-boy.

"There's an ant mound not too far off… they must have landed in a part of the nest," she nodded. Raul arched an eyebrow under the black, flat cowboy hat he wore. Normally he'd use the matching hat to the vaquero outfit he used, but Ash had insisted of him to use a hat she had found so he had just complied to make her happy. Now it had even a sentimental value to it so he wouldn't dream of trading it anymore.

Ash's tone was filled with worry, nothing he hadn't heard before when any of her companions had been in trouble, but he hadn't expected her travels with the other ghoul to fare so well that she'd be genuinely worried for him. Not to say the other one, but he didn't know much about that one.

"So you want us to travel into an ant nest and search for them, right?" he asked, scratching his forehead right under the hat. "Well, boss, glad to see you haven't changed," he sighed afterwards. Ash smirked halfheartedly, as she punched in the current coordinates of their location in other to find the hole again from underground, before she started walking fast towards the nearest entrance to the nest.

"Actually… how come you're even here?" Ash asked Raul, as they hurried along the old street. Raul gave her a sideways glance.

"Victor's been keeping an eye on you and have been transferring information back to your boss," he explained. "I decided to meet up with you here."

"Raul… "

Ash's tone was a thankful one but also almost cautious. She couldn't help but feel guilty for inflicting worry on the man, especially considering his past. He had already told her once that she was close to him and that he sometimes considered her his last chance to make up for his failures.

"Also, I heard the gunshots so knowing where to run was easy," he continued, pretending not to have noticed her saying his name like that.

Ash fell silent until they reached the ant mound, hidden in an empty building. She didn't much favor the idea of heading down into a bloody ant nest but there was nothing to it. She'd be damned if she was going to abandon anyone just because they landed in a hole filled with giant insects.

She turned on the light on the pip-boy before grabbing the shotgun in her hands, looking towards Raul who had pulled out his pistols. He nodded his head once, showing he was ready, before Ash walked down into the hole, rather glad that it was even possible to walk into it. The ants had been clever in a way, using the old sewers and what not underneath the ground to build their nests in, instead of making new tunnels. But the old walls were still covered in dirt and goo, along with random piles of… things Ash didn't really want to know the details of, on the floor.

They moved quickly because none of them wanted to stay down here for longer than necessary, and Ash kept her eyes almost constantly on the pip-boy's map, making sure they were moving in the right direction, praying that the tunnel would continue straight ahead and not start twisting and turning…

* * *

><p><strong>I am doing my best to delay the arrival to New Vegas, since I still got a few things I want to include and my plot ends after New Vegas so unless I can find a way to expand said plot, I need to make things very "Bad luck" for awhile. .<strong>

**I've wanted to include Raul for awhile now for several reasons.  
><strong>

**Also, sorry for the cliffhanger. Or maybe I'm not. But still. :D**


	24. Ants

When Dean came to, the first thing he noticed was the fact that his head was ringing like no tomorrow. The second thing was that he had landed right in what seemed to be a clutch of soft… eggs.

"Bloody hell…" he muttered as he got up on his feet quickly in disgust, before grimacing as the sudden move just made the headache twice as bad. There was light coming from above, making the air look dusty and uncomfortable like hell. Dean looked around while rubbing the back of his neck, noticing much to his horror that he had to pull loose a chunk of slime from his neck.

Thanks to that, it took him a while to notice the movement further off and once he did hear it, he had sense enough to pull out the holstered pistol, aiming it towards the noise. Once he realized it was Angryl coming to, it took him a few disturbingly longer moments to lower the gun again. Instead he looked around, trying to find Ash somewhere.

Angryl grunted, once he realized it was Dean who was standing around him, before he got up on his feet gingerly. The first thing he did was look up to the hole where they had come from, realizing at once it wouldn't be possible to get back up that way. Then he noticed that Dean had been wandering around the nearest lit area.

"Bugger…" Dean frowned, once he realized Ash couldn't be down there with them. The prospect that he was down there alone with Angryl was not a happy one. Unfortunately, he would probably need his skills to get out of wherever they were too. The ghoul went back to the hole, trying to peer up it before calling Ash's name.

When there was no answer, he looked back at Angryl who was frowning as well now.

"Maybe she woke up before us…?" Angryl suggested but Dean shook his head quickly, even making a dismissive gesture with his hand.

"No, she would have woken us up before doing so," he said. "She probably didn't even fall down."

"I really hope you're not sayin' she left us here."

Dean was about to reply in a rude way when he realized that insulting the other man wasn't a good idea right now. He had no advantage to take use of and making Angryl shoot him in anger was going to be very counterproductive.

"Hardly. That's not in Ash's nature," he said instead, brushing off some more goo from his coat. "So I suppose we wait here until she finds us… and hope that nothing else finds us before that." Considering there had been eggs, he was fairly sure someone had to have laid them.

"You assume she'll even find us," Angryl arched an eyebrow. Dean tapped his wrist surprisingly patiently.

"You forget the pip-boy," he said flatly. "It wouldn't surprise me if she has a full map of this area, underground as well."

A low hissing noise from somewhere made both tense as they pulled their weapons. When it stopped, Angryl looked back at Dean.

"Yeah, I'm not waitin' around to be rescued like some damsel in distress," he said coolly. Although Dean hadn't liked the sound any more than Angryl had, he had a feeling that leaving their position would become a problem.

"We have no light sources," he said after a few moments, looking around. The corridors were dark beyond the lit area. Angryl muttered a curse under his breath before looking around thoughtfully until his glance landed on Dean. The ghoul noticed it quickly and looked right back at him, annoyed.

"What?" he asked.

"Don't you have a lighter?" Angryl asked. Dean patted one of the coat's pockets, finding the lighter underneath there.

"That'll not be enough," he said. Clearly he had underestimated Angryl when it came to survival in the Mojave, because he was just as stubborn as Ash regarding it.

"We'll just need to find materials to make a torch with," Angryl shrugged, as he started to move around, plucking among the goo and objects on the floor. Dean made a disgusted grimace, before pulling up the lighter, seriously doubting this idea. The other man returned quickly with a much improvised torch made by a wooden stick, dry nest material and something else that Dean couldn't really place. Somewhat reluctantly he used the lighter to set the torch on fire, before tucking it away again.

"Well good luck heading out there without a map," Dean scoffed afterwards.

"You're stayin' here?" Angryl asked doubtfully.

"Heading further out in the… nest will just make us impossible to find. Besides, I got some experience in camping down in one spot…"

"Fine. I suppose you're way over due for your grave already."

Dean gave him an unimpressed look, not even bothering to respond to that remark. Instead he just watched as Angryl walked off, hoping it'd be the last time too.

* * *

><p>"Damn… so many dead ants," Ash muttered as she and Raul had ventured farther into the nest. By now they were starting to find ant corpses, either dead from old age or raids into the nest. Raids by humans weren't unusual for several reasons. It was a decent source of food and old sewers and underground areas like this could hold interesting things.<p>

"We are in an ant nest, boss. Maybe it's just me but dead ants make sense…" Raul commented. Both stopped talking when they heard some rattling sounds further away. Ash quickly paid more attention to the pip-boy again, checking on the map.

"Shouldn't be too far now," she said bracingly. They went through a few more tunnels, always doing their best to keep on track when the corridor showed a lit area furthest off.

"Dean!" Ash exclaimed once she spotted the ghoul standing against the lit up wall, his hand held over the pistol now that he had heard the noise as well as having seen the light but not the people. Ash barely contained just rushing over there and embracing him, and it certainly wouldn't be the first time she did so either. Instead she kept her cool and walked over to him, letting Raul worry about any nearby enemies for now.

"About time," Dean said coolly once he realized who it was but he arched an eyebrow at Raul's appearance, not expecting a stranger, even less another ghoul.

"Where's Angryl?" Ash asked, ignoring Dean's comment on their speed and his look towards Raul. Dean couldn't help but scowl at her asking after Angryl either, even though he was glad to see the girl again.

"I don't know. He refused to sit tight and just walked off, no doubt right into his own death," he said, waving dismissively with his hand. "I figured you'd find us sooner or later, with that fancy pip-boy of yours, but he wouldn't listen."

"Dammit…"

Ash looked around, as if that'd help her find Angryl quicker, when she spotted blood clinging to Dean's temple and cheek.

"Are you alright?" she ventured to ask, making him glance at her.

"I'm fine now, yes," he allowed himself to say before he gestured towards Raul with his head, the silent question obvious. He didn't want them discussing the wound, as it just reminded him of the ringing headache.

"Oh, that's Raul," the woman said quickly, almost stumbling over the words. "With his usual timing, he pulled me up from the hole."

"Ah… the infamous peasant…" Dean said thoughtfully.

"Boss? Exactly what have you been saying about me?" Raul asked Ash who shrugged.

"Nothing but good things, I assure you," Ash smirked fondly, as she walked past them both towards where the corridor split in several others. Raul didn't seem too convinced, but said nothing.

"Which way did Angryl go?" Ash asked Dean, as he almost twitched in both surprise and annoyance.

"You're actually going after him?" he asked doubtfully. "Let him kill himself! Not exactly a loss…"

"We both know I won't just let him die down here… even if I'll admit he could need some sense punched into him," Ash sighed. "Just say where he went."

"I'm going to regret this…" Dean muttered, before pointing to the correct corridor. "We all are."

"Probably," Raul shrugged indifferently, before he followed Ash who was already walking into the corridor.

"You sound so sure of that…" Dean said to Raul, reluctantly curious at the man that had gained Ash's utter respect and devotion. "Yet you follow her?"

"Of course. How else would I land into trouble with raiders and giant ants? Because that's been my very dream since before the war." Raul replied, without really looking towards Dean.

"Well, it seems she was right about the sarcasm…" Dean muttered to himself.

As they walked further into the darkness, where the walls just seemed to turn more nest-looking by the minute. It wasn't until they stumbled upon a freshly killed ant, that they even knew they were on the right track. It was lying in a crossroads in the corridor, where it split into two new directions. The ant had been shot a few times with what seemed to be an ordinary rifle and matched what Angryl was carrying. Since it hadn't been more than 30 minutes ago that they had fallen down the hole, he couldn't be that far into the nest. Ash looked closer at the floor by the ant, not missing the fact that the blood stains were in two different colors. One red and one with a more sickly brown-green color.

"He's already injured," she said dismally, pointing down towards where there were some faint signs of blood on the floor past the ant. "Will make him easy to follow at least."

They followed the track even if it ended fairly quickly; hinting that the injury was either not as bad as suspected or that Angryl had already treated it. The corridor ended in a large room where rock created a natural cave, followed by another corridor, this time made by rock.

"Ah, bugger…" came Dean's muttering voice, causing Ash to turn around to look at him where he had stopped in the doorway. His hand was up over his temple, drying away the blood there, but the more he did so the more it continued to bleed. The headache and slight ringing was more annoying than anything else, affecting his ability to move around. He had just been damn good at hiding it.

Ash gestured for Raul to keep an eye out in the new tunnel they had approached, before going back to Dean. Even if his eyes narrowed quickly at her concerned look, it didn't fool her nor stop her from reaching up to grab the side of his face, forcing him to stand still. If she hadn't been holding so close to his eyebrow muscle, he'd lift it in surprise, because she was surprisingly gentle: more so than she had been before when treating his wounds. As in fact, the touch was as light as a feather, which was pleasantly disturbing.

"That's a pretty deep wound," she noted, as she released him to pull forth her bag and place it on the ground to look through it.

"No, really?" he replied a bit tersely, touching the side of his face, finding himself missing the feather like touch already. Ash stood up again, holding what looked like a med-x before she carefully injected it into the skin of his neck. The painkiller set into action at once, removing the headache and most of the ringing, allowing him to let out a sigh of relief. Before he knew what she was doing, she placed her fingers over his eyebrow and cheek again, putting an alcohol drenched piece of cloth to the wound. Dean twitched, his arm flailing out for a moment before tensing, which he bet looked amusing like hell since he heard Raul chuckle further off. As soon as he got used to the stinging sensation, he could focus back to Ash, who was standing very close to him. Close enough for him to see every detail of her face, as she concentrated on her task. It had been a very long time since he had felt something similar to what he was feeling right now, that he had almost forgotten what it was about, yet alone what it meant. All he knew was that the… warm feeling wouldn't go away anytime soon. It'd only grow worse, especially now that he had experienced her proximity like this.

Ash's thoughts were elsewhere, as she wondered whether Dean had gotten a concussion or not. If that was the case, there was precious little she could do about it but hurry on with finding Angryl and get them back out of the nest. As she pondered how deep the injury really was, she dried away the blood from his cheek and jaw, finding herself tracing a strange pattern of rough skin along his jaw. Not more than a second of curiosity gone too far and Dean had already noticed it.

"I don't think my jaw's injured," his sarcastic voice reached her ears, at the same time as she felt his jaw move against her fingers as he spoke.

"I wasn't…" she said, pulling her hands back quickly enough as he glanced at her. "Your head's fine," she added, feeling a bit like an idiot now, for letting curiosity take the upper hand like that.

"Splendid," Dean said slowly, not sounding too convinced. He gently touched the now clean cut on his temple, before looking properly at the girl. She looked embarrassed, as if caught off guard, which was probably the case. It was an interesting change of perspective for him because there was really only one way to interpret her last touch and reaction.

"Uh, boss, I don't mean to rush you but… the faster we get out of here, the better," Raul said, and Ash made an even more awkward expression, wondering just how much Raul had seen or heard.

"Yes, of course," she replied, as she tucked the things back into her bag and then hauling it back over her shoulders. When she stood up again, she caught Dean smirking coolly in her direction, obviously amused and obviously _well aware_ of her embarrassment.

She decided it best not to comment as she hurried over to Raul before walking right by him without a word, making him lean backwards a bit in surprise of her basically storming past him. Once she had passed he looked back at Dean, almost suspiciously but the latter just shrugged in reply before following Ash. It wasn't just Ash who had become disturbed by the whole event, as he suddenly had a very difficult time focusing on anything else but the woman in front of him.

The peace of walking in a narrow corridor of rock didn't last long, as when they passed two large holes by the floor, was suddenly revealed to be more than just holes. Ants, the size of coyotes suddenly swarmed out from them, nearly slamming their pinchers shut around their feet. Ash reacted first of them all, letting loose her shotgun on the nearest of them while moving away, allowing the two ghouls to get out of the way too. The ants were no more than three and died easily to the shotgun's massive damage but a fourth giant ant squeezed out of the hole too. This one was as large as a mole rat causing both Raul and Ash to unload several bullets into its head. It exploded, leaving the bigger part of their legs spattered by ant blood.

"Eww…" Ash muttered, ignoring how childish she sounded at the moment.

"Battling giant ants always make me miss when they were smaller," Raul sighed. "At least they resulted in smaller stains back then…"

"They were quite good at ruining food by crawling over it, true… made any decent buffet worthless," Dean chimed in thoughtfully.

"Aw, gee," Ash huffed. "At least in _your_ days they didn't kill off cattle and humans!"

"Actually, they made a few movies with giant ants invading cities," Dean continued, as Ash gave him a look.

"But of course you will not see the humor in that since you've actually lived it, I understand," he finished, raising his palms briefly. Ash turned away again, as Raul glanced over to Dean.

"Impressive dodge. Maybe you're not an entire _idiota_ after all," he said.

"Watch it, _peasant_."

"Quiet, you two," Ash said suddenly, as she stood still as if listening. There were faint gunshots somewhere ahead of them. "Come on."

They continued down the corridor in a faster pace than before, finding a few more dead ants in the process as well as louder gunshots. The corridor stopped abruptly, with Ash almost falling head first into it before she found her balance again. One look towards the bottom told her that their object of search hadn't been so lucky.

"Angryl!" she called out, as the man a few meters below looked up suddenly, pausing in the shooting. He had to continue though as ants were crawling towards him from a smaller hole further off, that seemed to be the beginning of the actual ant-made nest.

"Ash? You're a sight for sore eyes," he called back, before turning the rifle around to beat away a too close ant. It landed on its back further off, flailing its legs before managing to turn over again. A torch was lying next to Angryl, but it was very well on its way to wink out soon. Ash looked to the side, noticing that the boulders there made for a good staircase down to the bottom.

"Make sure the ants stay away, will you?" she asked the ghouls, before she quickly climbed down the boulders. She didn't bother going all the way to the bottom, gesturing for Angryl to grab her hand once she was close enough. He didn't wait, using her assistance to get up on the boulders as well; meanwhile Raul expertly shot away any nearby ants. Dean had just concluded that Raul could handle the shooting on his own, as he went over to the boulders, helping Ash up over the edge again. Ash in turn dragged Angryl back up, noticing the blood on his side and leg.

"Let's go before they gather their wits again," she said afterwards, sounding a bit out of breath after the climb.

"Shit, I'm not gonna be fast," Angryl groaned, as the climb had made a number on his already wounded leg. Dean noticed, _much_ to his amusement how Ash pulled up a new med-x and rather abruptly stabbed it into Angryl's leg.

"Ow! Gently, woman!" he huffed, before the pain faded away, allowing him to stand properly for now. He paused briefly once he spotted the ghouls.

"Oh great, there's two of you now," he rolled his eyes.

"Some gratitude to the people who saved your life," Ash commented sourly, as she gestured for them to get a move on, back into the corridor, before the ants grew any wiser.

"Please, we both know you did all the work. Actually, must have been a lot of work to track me down here… I'm flattered."

"You should be damned glad we came after you at all. What were you thinking heading deeper into the nest and then falling right down into a hole? Which I'll assume you did."

"I… it seemed reasonable at the time…" Angryl sighed.

"Just like the Deathclaw ,I guess?"

"Deathclaw?" Raul asked, knowing well what Ash's opinion was of them.

"None of your business," Angryl frowned at the new ghoul.

"Mind your tongue," Ash snapped, giving Raul an apologetic look. "Let's just get out of here, fast…" she sighed afterwards. Angryl was becoming more and more unpleasant, a sure sign that the last days had been nothing but a façade.

Thanks to Ash's pip-boy, making their way back out from where they had come from was easy, if a bit time consuming. The few ants that had actually followed them had quickly been taken down by bullets and the rest had either gotten the idea or just weren't smart enough to realize the food had fled.

Breathing the fresh air again was a relief, as they all paused shortly outside the nest's entrance. Much to Ash's dismay darkness was setting in however and it'd be over them very soon.

"Ok, who the heck is this guy?" Angryl broke the silence as he pointed towards Raul who folded his arms across his chest.

"He's a friend of mine," Ash answered patiently. "Dammit… we need to try and find a shelter for the night now…"

"Can't we just walk to New Vegas? I thought you said this area was safe during night…" Dean frowned. Ash merely pointed back to Angryl with her thumb, hinting at his leg injury from the fall.

"Brilliant," Dean huffed.

"Perhaps if you had followed me instead of hidin' it wouldn't have had happened…" Angryl retorted.

"I actually thought you were capable of looking after yourself. Obviously I was wrong."

Raul nudged Ash briefly, while the other two bickered at the lack of a better word. Once he had her attention, he pointed towards a nearly collapsed building further off. There was light from a fire coming from it, which could mean other travelers. Or raiders in worst cases.

"Alright, we need a camp right away so we're heading that way," Ash announced, loud enough for the other two to hear as well. "And I want no bickering on the way."


	25. Ghouls

The collapsed building with the fire seemed to be made of red bricks, even from a distance. Luckily most of the corner facing them was whole, so Ash could sneak up the entire way to the wall. She quickly spotted the small hole in the wall after a few meters and carefully peered through it, well aware that the wall stopped entirely just a few bricks away.

The first thing she saw was a fire with some people sitting around it, as expected really. The next thing she saw was the barrel of a shotgun popping up in front of her face, right through the hole in the wall.

"Don't move," came the strained voice of a male ghoul, before he stepped out from behind the other side of the wall, still keeping the gun aimed at her. Dressed in thick leather armor with several knives hanging from his belt, as well as another weapon on his back, it was pretty clear that this ghoul knew how to handle the shotgun he kept aimed in Ash's face.

His hazy, yet obviously brown eyes quickly fell on her three companions, causing him to arch an eyebrow, which he surprisingly actually had. Unlike most ghouls, he still had patches of black hair on his skull and there even were a few faint spots of beard around his mouth.

"Interesting company," he continued, keeping his hands steadily on the shotgun. "What's your business here?"

"We're merely looking for a safe place to stay the night," Ash explained. The ghoul continued to literally stare her down.

"Should I assume your company means that you're not a bigot, or would they happen to be slaves or something?" he asked, nodding towards the others. Dean actually laughed at the notion of being a slave.

"Do we look like slaves to you?" he asked drily afterwards, well aware of the shotgun aimed in Ash's face. He wouldn't admit to being a tad worried about the other man's hostile manner, but at the same time the man seemed reasonable as well. "I can assure you that you won't find a friendlier… smoothskin anywhere else but her," he added, using the phrase for other humans that he didn't much like to use. It just seemed to mark his own difference from unaffected humans all too much.

"Fine," the ghoul said, lifting the shotgun. "Try anything funny though and you'll be having a knife between your eyes." He gestured for them to walk past him and into the old remains of the house, where the warm fire was a comforting sight for anyone who traveled in the pitch darkness of the Mojave.

Ash was intrigued by what she saw in there. The four other people sitting around the fire were all ghouls, dressed in fairly decent pre-war clothes and not looking too bad off. None of them seemed nervous about the strangers' presence either. Angryl on the other hand seemed highly uncomfortable. So much that he grabbed Ash's shoulder, leaning in close.

"We're not really stayin' here are we?" he asked casually. "They're all ghouls!"

"So?" Ash muttered back, knowing well what he thought of ghouls but she honestly didn't care at the moment.

"I don't want to get… infected…"

"It doesn't work like that, you idiot!"

She pushed his hand off her shoulder so abruptly that both Raul and Dean turned to look at them, while Angryl glared back at Ash, a bit embarrassed about the others staring at him. Luckily the other ghouls hadn't noticed, looking curiously at them.

"Guests, I'll assume?" one of the male ones asked, his features lacking any sign of hair at all while he wore glasses.

"Two smoothskins traveling with ghouls. That's a rare sight, and I've been around for a while," a female one said. "Have a seat, why don't you?"

"You're very kind," Ash smiled politely, as they all joined them by the fire. Angryl seemed the most uncomfortable and made sure to sit down furthest away, keeping a weary and almost disturbed eye on the ghouls. If his injured leg was bothering him, he certainly didn't show it.

"Too kind," the armored ghoul said, as he sat down somewhere he could keep an eye on both them and their surroundings. The shotgun came to rest on his lap, just in case.

"Perhaps… but any smoothskin who travels with ghouls must be more tolerant than the rest," the woman continued patiently. "What's your name, dear?"

"Ash," the courier replied calmly. "They're Angryl and Raul," she continued, pointing towards the other two before smirking towards Dean. A smirk he found himself not liking.

"That's Dean Domino."

The four pre-war dressed ghouls all moved to get a better look at Dean who rolled his eyes.

"Don't tell me you're all from before the bombs…" he muttered, almost displeased. He hadn't been blind to Ash's tease and he was still deciding what he thought of it…

"We are actually," one of them smiled amused. "Well, except young Blake over there," he added, pointing towards the armored one. "He's… fresh compared to us."

"But, my. Domino himself? I had no idea you survived the war," a female ghoul said, the admiration obvious in her tone.

"I saw you perform in New York actually," the second female piped up. "Was marvelous. Best day of my life."

Ash was almost giggling behind her hand by now because Dean looked bothered to say the least. She'd think he'd enjoy meeting old… fans, but perhaps she had been wrong. Or just purposefully mean.

"Can't you sing for us?" the female ghoul continued.

"Certainly not out here!" Dean protested soundly. "I'll most likely be back to doing that in New Vegas in a few days, if you're headed that way…"

"Oh, we are! That's about the only decent place to live in around here, we've heard. Besides, it'll be interesting to see how it looks like now after the war…"

Ash refrained from mentioning that they'd probably be disappointed, if they had seen it before the war. To her New Vegas was a beauty, but Mr. House had already told her that today's New Vegas was just a fraction of what it had used to be. Even Dean cleared his throat, glancing over at Ash who merely shrugged. It was for the ghouls to discover for themselves really.

"Hey, you mind?" Blake said suddenly, catching the attention of his ghoul companions. He pointed towards a thin metal pole that had been leaning towards the brick wall behind him. There were two rats hanging from it, looking somewhat freshly killed but most of the blood had dripped off them by now, which explained their location. One of the ghouls by the fire stood up to fetch it and put the pole over the fire with the help of the debris that surrounded them.

"Strangers aren't accounted for," Blake continued towards Ash's direction, his eyes still suspicious and sharp.

"Tsk, don't be rude, Blake," one of the female ghouls sighed. Raul nudged Ash discretely, pulling up a small bag he had carried with him, to her feet.

"Don't worry, we have our own food," she said quickly, raising her hand before taking the bag Raul had given her, giving him a thankful look. It wasn't anything fresh he had brought with them, as it was canned food but at the moment Ash was thankful for anything. Besides, being ungrateful wasn't her style or anything she had ever practiced in her life. She was handed a pot by one of the ghouls, before pouring over the canned food into it. She was about to arrange it over the fire when Dean took it from her, mostly because he was closer to the fire and had easier access. He honestly wasn't sure why he offered to do work instead of her but afterwards it seemed like the gentleman thing to do. He reached up to touch his temple afterwards, still feeling a bit of pain from the previous blow.

"How are you feeling?" Ash asked him once she saw him fuss over his wound and he snorted lightly.

"Don't you worry about me, my dear," he said smoothly. "If I couldn't handle a hit to the head, I wouldn't have lasted long in show business." Ash arched an eyebrow at that, not entirely sure what he meant and to be honest, she probably didn't want to know either.

Some time passed, with the other ghouls chatting quietly among themselves, while Ash's group kept to themselves¨. Raul made a few comments on Dean who replied to them with a not so hidden annoyance, leaving Ash rolling her eyes. Even if she mostly kept an eye on Blake: a notion that was shared, she found herself looking towards Dean a lot too. His and Raul's discussion was surprisingly civil considering they were basically insulting each other. Luckily both the ghouls weren't prone to hasty or violent tendencies unless provoked, something she was thankful for. It was enough that Angryl looked bothered about the whole thing, remaining over in his corner like a child that had been bullied and was now sulking in the corner. He seemed changed, Ash thought almost nervously. It made sense really, that he'd manage to keep his true feelings hidden the first days but now they were starting to resurface into a bitterness she couldn't understand. It didn't really make her feel better, knowing that he seemed to dislike ghouls this much and was in a camp full of them. The woman was thankful when the food seemed to be ready for everyone, as they served their meals up on brought along plates.

"I suppose you're having a hard time adjusting to this kind of food," Raul continued the discussion from before and Ash could swear he was enjoying poking Dean.

"This isn't my first day traveling," Dean replied pointedly, almost proudly.

"Well, you were a bit hesitant about the food in the start," Ash pointed out, much to Dean's dismay, especially when Raul grinned faintly.

"Natural caution," Dean defended himself, as Ash rolled her eyes, before she stood up, carrying a plate with some of the canned food on it.

Both Raul and Dean watched after her, none of them having missed Angryl's tension that hadn't improved yet. He looked a bit brighter when Ash approached him and handed him the plate of food. She had no wish to talk with him, the uneasiness she had felt before still lingering too much but when she turned to go back, Angryl grabbed her wrist suddenly, stopping her from doing so.

Raul noticed Dean twitch slightly at the movement, the ghoul's eyes narrowing slightly behind the glasses.

"Ash can take care of herself," Raul commented lightly, as he stuck the fork down in his food, looking for the best pieces.

"I didn't say anything," Dean replied, giving the man a terse look.

"You didn't need to." Dean snorted at the reply but nevertheless, he didn't want Ash anywhere near Angryl.

"I am sorry if you took… offense earlier, lass," Angryl started, as he let her go again but at least she remained to hear him out. "I just don't like ghouls, never had. Can't you see where I'm comin' from?"

"Not really," she admitted. "You dislike them because you're afraid to get infected. That alone shows how little you know."

"They're mutants! You have no qualms killin' feral ghouls do you? These are no different, except they wear clothes and can talk. Before you know it, they'll turn on you…"

"Please tell me you're speaking out of experience and that this isn't some childish assumption you made…" Angryl scowled at being called childish, his expression growing grimmer than before, as he put his plate of food to the side.

"It's not an assumption, it's common knowledge," he frowned, as he stood up as well. "But also experience. Why do you continue to trust them, lass?"

"We're not having this conversation, Angryl," Ash said tersely, as she turned to go, when he grabbed her wrist again, turning her around this time. That sudden motion even got Blake's attention, as his eyes landed on her ghoul companions for a moment, trying to determine their reaction.

"Yes, we are," Angryl frowned at her, not letting go of her arm. "The fact you keep defendin' these… freaks and would rather spend time with them than me, a normal human, just seems off."

"Perhaps I don't like you," she replied, annoyed now. "Let go of my arm before I make you…" she added coolly, but his grip only got stronger.

"No, the problem is not from my side. It's yours. You like these things, don't you? Dead lookin' people, really, Ash? That's a disgustin' idea for a woman like you!"

Ash had had about enough, as her fist connected to his face, making him let go of her in the process. He tumbled backwards in the debris, before sitting up, rubbing his jaw painfully.

"You have the nerve to call me disgusting and insult my friends, when you're such a shallow and pathetic being yourself," she frowned angrily at him, not keeping her voice low anymore. She suspected the others hadn't heard anything from before but now she didn't care anymore.

"Looks like I hit a nerve!" Angryl almost laughed, as he stood up again, a bit gingerly since his leg still hurt, despite the med-x. "I thought you were better than that, lass."

"I guess I'm not then. That won't matter to you, because you're on your own from now on," she said coolly, as she folded her arms across her chest. "You can head to New Vegas or wherever you want to go, right now," she added, as she pointed out towards the darkness outside the camp.

"But… I can't go anywhere now," he protested, previous disgust and anger replaced by surprise.

"You insult everyone here and then you expect me to care?"

"What the hell are you two on about already?" Blake finally asked, his patience having run thin, as he stood up, keeping the shotgun pointed to the ground.

"Angryl's leaving," Ash said pointedly, as she walked back to her ghoul companions and sat down, still fuming.

"I am not!" Angryl protested. "If anyone should leave, it's your 'employer'. He has no need of you anymore, now that ghouls are swarmin' all over the place."

"You assume to know what I need and don't need," Dean interjected. He was actually thrilled at the idea of Angryl leaving, even if he hid it well and kept to a more neutral expression to what was happening. "Quite moronic of you, I'll add."

"You know I'm right."

"You _are_ right, I don't need her help anymore," Dean shrugged, as Ash glanced at him for a moment and he could have sworn she looked near disappointed, if not hurt even. Even if she knew Angryl had a point, Dean could very well just follow this group of ghouls to New Vegas instead, if she decided to leave.

"I _want_ it," Dean continued, his tone leaving no room for mistake. Angryl snorted, almost annoyed.

"You all got her wrapped around your fingers, don't you?" he asked tersely. "What, tryin' to make her a ghoul? All you need now is a casket of radiation. Oh wait, you already got like six of them right here!"

A shotgun was suddenly aimed at him, as Blake had had about enough.

"I agree with the smoothskin. You should leave," he said coolly. "Before you leave in pieces."

"Don't be ridiculous," Angryl huffed. "Ash wouldn't let me get shot. Too nice for it."

"I'm on the verge of shooting you myself, so you might want to obey him," Ash lied coolly. She wouldn't go as far as shooting Angryl, even if it was tempting, but he didn't need to know that.

Angryl let out a sound in disbelief before looking towards Blake who had his gun fixed on him, eyes narrowing.

"Almost reminds me of a TV show…" Dean commented quietly.

"If you say a Mexican standoff, I will shoot you," Raul frowned annoyed at him.

"I'd never! Besides, wouldn't that incline to both have their guns and stand a chance?"

"Dean…" Ash said under her breath.

"Alright, alright. I'll refrain from commenting till the idiot's out of reach."

"Well… if that's how you feel," Angryl muttered as he turned around and grabbed his things. "It's not like I really wanted to be here anyway, only good reason was Ash after all and she's been twisted by you _zombies_. I'll just say this; good luck getting into New Vegas. Not only do they not accept mutants to enter, the path there is pretty dangerous still. I'd keep my eyes open."

"Oh, I will. Wouldn't want anyone else shooting you," Blake growled.

"Actually, why aren't you shooting him?" Dean asked.

"I won't become proof of his ignorance by shooting an unarmed man in the back because of insults," Blake scoffed.

"Trust me, not worth the effort either," Ash frowned, as she heard Angryl walk away, although she didn't bother looking after him. Instead her eyes were fixed on the fire. Blake didn't sit down for a good few minutes, as his ghoul companions chatted amongst themselves.

"Was he speaking the truth?" one of them asked. "Ghouls aren't allowed in New Vegas?" Raul glanced over at Ash, who sighed.

"Of course they're allowed," she said. "Another futile attempt of him to be clever. I can't believe I didn't see it sooner though."

"Yes, an interesting man to bring into our midst," Blake said rather sharply. "Now we're under threat as well."

"I'm sorry."

"Yah, because blaming someone for not knowing a person after just a few days' travel make sense," Dean said as he looked at Blake. "He seemed like a moron the first moment I saw him frankly, but Ash… she likes to believe there's something good in everyone. So give her a break. Take it from someone who knows," Dean winked.

Ash wasn't sure she appreciated the input or not but it seemed to make Blake let go of the subject, even if he snorted a bit at it.

"Let it go, Ash," Raul said, as they continued eating. "You can't predict everything, you know, even if you'd want to."

"I know, Raul," she sighed. "But I can't help but think I should have seen this coming earlier. Angryl didn't seem exactly… understanding."

"Nor fully sane. I even prefer him than Angryl," Raul chuckled, as he pointed at Dean with his thumb.

"You should be delighted you even met me, peasant," Dean scoffed. Ash smirked as the two of them entered another squabble, before she looked out towards the darkness where Angryl had left. She couldn't help but to feel worried…

* * *

><p><strong>Blake is an OC ghoul of mine that's a little based on Charon from Fallout 3, but very little. Havn't really found a good place to use him so figured he could pop in here for awhile. :P<strong>


	26. More Ghouls

**About time for an update maybe...? I'm sorry about the major delay, RL decided to catch up and cause a writer's block, which has effected everything I write on at the moment. Things still aren't solved but I'll try to keep the fanfic somewhat updated at least. **

**Granted, I'm a bit rusty right now and need to do some proper re reading and what not, so will be a short chapter for now.**

* * *

><p>The next day came with the usual warm sun, quickly heating up the rock debris around them. Even the slab of rock Ash had been sleeping on was getting warm, as she turned around, briefly putting her arm over her eyes to ward against the sharp sunlight.<p>

After Angryl's departure, the tension from Blake had been almost stifling and his attitude towards Ash had been cold. She hadn't cared all that much, because he hadn't been very friendly from the start anyway, nor was she planning on becoming best friends with the ghoul. But his staring had started to get annoying, so she was eager to continue the trip.

She got up on her feet quickly, brushing off some dust from her side. Some of the ghouls were already up and about them, among them Blake who resumed his glaring.

"Don't worry, we're leaving as soon as we get our things together," Ash snorted in reply to his unspoken question. He merely wrinkled what was left of his nose and eyebrows.

"No breakfast?" Dean asked, almost perturbed. Ash sighed, before sticking her head outside the holes in the walls around them. She disappeared through it for a few moments before returning with a few cactus fruits in her hands. She tossed one each to Raul and Dean, the latter barely catching it in his surprise. He looked down at the fruit in his hand, before scowling towards Raul who flashed a grin at him in amusement before munching on his own fruit, walking towards Ash and their belongings.

"You seem upset," Raul told Ash, as if she needed to know really. She merely scoffed down into her bag, fishing up a bottle of water.

"Yes, I'm sure. Being the only human in the company, I think only I notice Blake's… angry glares," she frowned, drinking from it after having given Raul a look.

"Don't worry about it," she continued before Raul could. "Not the first suspicious ghoul I met and won't be the last either. But I'd like to get moving as soon as possible, before we have another scene. So breakfast has to wait."

Dean was slowly eating the fruit, finding it to be decent enough. It wasn't the first time he was forced to eat the natural flora in the Mojave, even if he did prefer cooked food. It tasted a lot better than the crap he had had to survive on at his last 200 year old location. He had just finished the fruit when the ghoul females approached him, looking very much like they were going to ask something of him. He knew that look after all, even on women whose faces lacked the features that usually tipped such an idea off.

"Mr. Domino," one of them started casually, almost shyly. "Do you have an exact date on when you'll be performing in New Vegas?" Dean arched an eyebrow over the glasses, before glancing at Ash.

"We should be in New Vegas around evening," she replied, taking another deep sip from the bottle.

"Well, I certainly won't be doing it today. But knowing the Tops' owner, I am sure I'll be doing so tomorrow, or the next day," he explained to the two ladies.

"Oh, how exciting," one of them almost beamed, clapping her hands in enthusiasm. The other seemed a bit more mature in her response and keeping calmer.

"Indeed it is," she smiled. "Back to your loving crowd, isn't it?"

"Yes…" Dean nodded slowly, looking down at the remains of the fruit before tossing it to the side, pulling out a cigarette.

"Back to anything else loving too?" she continued as he paused in lighting the cigarette, looking at her over the lighter.

"_Excuse_ me?" he asked, continuing with it.

"If I didn't know any better, you're asking him out," the other woman scoffed, looking offended at the very idea and quite jealous too.

Dean sighed; this wasn't exactly new to him, though it had been a few... _years_ since he had last experienced it like this. A small part of him was even surprised at the interest, but then, charm didn't exactly disappear along with his skin.

"What if I am? It doesn't exactly seem like he's taken… are you?" the woman continued, giving him a charming smile.

"Actually… I got my eyes on someone else. I'm sorry, ladies," Dean smirked amused.

It wasn't the woman lifting their eyebrows in surprise that made everyone stare; it was Ash suddenly coughing on what she was drinking, as she ended up with hitting her chest, before realizing everyone was in fact, staring at her. She looked confused, even embarrassed for a while before gathering her wits somewhat.

"What? Never seen someone cough before?" she asked defensively before throwing the bottle back in her bag, noticing that Raul looked at her, amused like an older man watching a teenager make a fool of themselves.

"_What?_" she almost snapped at him, as she passed him by, the bag thrown over her shoulder.

"Nothing, boss. You look a bit red though," Raul commented airily, as she hunched her shoulders up, still walking away from him.

"Dean!" she called out suddenly. "We're leaving."

"Aw, already?" one of the female ghouls said, almost pouting, as one of the male ones finally had enough.

"For pity's sake, leave the man alone," he huffed, as Dean managed to discretely back away from the two ladies who now glared at their companion. He brushed something off his chest as he returned to Ash and Raul, both looking amused at him.

"Women trouble?" Raul asked, as Ash waved over at the other ghouls, who hesitantly returned the wave before the two women rushed over to Blake who had been nodding to the departing, much to Ash's surprise.

"I wouldn't exactly call it trouble…" Dean replied drily.

"Well, if you're interested in someone else… it should be annoying."

"Pfft, rubbish. I just said that to get rid of them."

Ash rolled her eyes at that one as they started to follow one of the many roads that'd eventually lead to New Vegas.

"That's new. Not interested in female ghouls, are we?" she asked, almost tersely.

"Not them at any rate. Why on earth would I be interested in women who remained… fans of me for over 200 years! That's… crazy. Can you imagine how clingy they must be?" Dean almost shuddered after his words.

Raul frowned in near confusion at his reply, before exchanging a look with Ash and then both started to laugh, causing Dean to glare at the both of them. It was quickly interrupted as Blake called after them, looking more than a little annoyed even from the distance they had already made between them. He closed up on them, the scowl in his face even clearer now.

"The ladies here are absolutely certain that we should travel together… in case your angsty bigot comes back for your heads…" he explained slowly, looking back over his shoulder.

"Uh, I think we can deal with him…" Ash replied coolly.

"Trust me, they're very anxious… about his well-being," Blake continued, nodding towards Dean who groaned. "They'll pester me for the rest of the day if I don't comply."

Ash arched an eyebrow before exchanging a look with Raul, who shrugged, clearly more amused than anything else. Blake's suggestion was really an olive branch on fire in order to save his own sanity from his female companions.

"Alright…," Ash caved. "I suppose there's safety in numbers. As long as it doesn't turn against us…" she continued, making a gesture between her and Blake. The ghoul's scowl grew clearer for a moment.

"Yeah, don't expect friendly chit-chatting," he stated firmly.

"Don't worry, I don't."

"Does this mean I have to talk further with those women…?" Dean asked almost thoughtfully. Ash couldn't really tell if he was looking forward to it or bothered by it.

"I'm more curious about whether this means we get some breakfast. Breakfast_ and_ entertainment…" Raul pointed out to Ash, before making a gesture towards Dean who frowned slowly at him.

"You're starting to get a bit too amused for my liking, peasant," Dean warned him, as they walked back to the group. Raul did get his wish with a proper breakfast, as proper it could be on the road and without more fire, but it was definitely more filling with some dried supplies than one simple fruit.

They continued after that, heading out on the old road that would lead them back to New Vegas soon enough. Blake's group took the lead, allowing for the female ghouls to look back at the others, Dean mostly, that was, and give him telltale smiles which made him just roll his eyes. It was thankfully interrupted after a while by the road being blocked by debris, probably having tumbled down from one of the many road bridges above them. The forced small amount of climbing, jumping and leading forced them to pay attention to the actual ground.

Dean muttered something by the end of the debris, patting his chest, before lifting the jacket out to spot the hole in the inner pocket. By the time he realized where his previous little metal box had gone, Ash was holding it in her hand, having picked it up from the last bit of debris they had passed. She looked at it, noting that it hadn't even gotten scratched in the fall before spotting Dean's almost tense face.

"You know, you never explained what this was actually," she frowned at him, jiggling the box a little.

"Don't see it being your affairs," Dean lifted an eyebrow but he couldn't entirely remove the tension at the fact she had it.

"Oh," Ash said simply, lifting both eyebrows for a moment. "Funny, because you traded me to the Legion for it."

"He did _what_ now?" Raul's voice was heard suddenly and in a manner Ash hadn't heard in a long while.

"I had a rescue planned out all along," Dean snorted defensively. He blinked as Raul grabbed a hold of the back of his collar, forcing him to stop abruptly and land closer to Raul who glared at him over his shoulder.

"You handed her over to the _Legion_?" Dean looked over at Ash briefly, mostly because he could barely see Raul as it was and the peasant sounded… downright angry. Not an emotion he had ever pinned on him, but then it hit him that Raul was like a brother to Ash. No doubt that worked in reverse too and he sighed, almost patiently.

"I'm not discussing this, hanging like a shirt on a rack," he said coolly, batting Raul's hand away from him before correcting his collar and clearing his throat. Being a ghoul Raul didn't have the best strength in the word so he didn't bother gripping him again, resorting to merely glaring at him under the hat until Ash touched his shoulder.

"He did trade me, even if he says it was a part of a plan. And he did gather some people from Goodsprings and took out a thug on me," she explained, looking to Dean. "Trust me, I was pissed at the time, but it worked out in the end."

"… In the end?" Raul frowned at her. "That's no excuse. You helped him and that's how he repaid you?" Ash shrugged.

"You know me. Too nice for my own good. Besides, I did punch him myself afterwards."

"Least that he deserves," Raul snorted, even if his anger was dissipating quickly.

"If I may cut in?" Dean asked. "We were actually under the threat of death; if I hadn't done it we'd both be dead by now. A deal had to be struck."

"Do yourself a favor, _idiota_, and don't speak so callously about it," Raul huffed. Dean glared back at him now.

"I'm not callous about it. Business doesn't always work out as we want them to, that's all. You have no idea what went through my head at the time_, peasant_."

"_Boys_, calm down," Ash sighed, even if Dean's last words had made her curious, since his eyes had been on her under the glasses. "I try not to dwell on the past right now, let's all follow that, alright?"

"What _are_ you people doing?" Blake's voice came from further off as his group had been forced to stop since Ash and the others had to, carried away in their discussion.

"Just a moment," Ash called back before looking at the other two, waiting for an agreement. Raul just snorted before he started walking ahead, letting the other two follow him and in turn allowing Blake and his group to continue as well.

"Talk about over-protective," Dean muttered, as Ash smiled a bit fondly.

"Well… I'll admit, it's nice. Nice change of pace."

"Excuse me?" Ash looked a little taken off guard, not even sure she could explain what she meant.

"It's just… nice to not have all the weight on my shoulders at the moment," she shrugged in discomfort, before giving him a nod and caching up with Raul to see if he was alright… as well as escape Dean, who was frowning after her.


	27. Unresolved

"And you actually like this man...?" Raul asked Ash the second she caught up to him. She blinked at him, not having expected the question. Raul had always been forward and pointed out things if he saw fit, yet... his tone seemed downright disapproving instead of the usual sarcasm.

"Well... uhm, I guess?" she finally said, feeling as if she admitted to something shameful. To be honest though, she hadn't... admitted it to anyone at all. Not even herself. Raul muttered something in Spanish, while putting his hand over his face.

"That's going to give you a lot of pain, Ash..." the old ghoul continued, giving her a sad look. It had been humorous at first but he hadn't really realized until now that Dean seemed to be rather… unpredictable.

"Wouldn't be the first time..." she shrugged, before frowning. "Why are we even discussing this! It's not like anything will come of it."

"What makes you say that."

"It just won't!" Raul arched a doubtful eyebrow, like you might to a child.

"Great..." he sighed afterwards. "If I had any hopes of ever leaving you be and move on with my life, they certainly got crushed now." His tone was feigned annoyance, so Ash immediately knew he wasn't serious. They both knew he'd never leave her, at least not for such a reason as to move on with his life. After all, she was part of it now and she wouldn't have it any other way.

"Nothing's stopping you," she shrugged, playing along.

"Yeah... as if. It'd leave you in the hands of him. He'll break your heart within a week."

"If it even comes to that at all, which it won't mind you... well, it's a good thing you'll be there to take care of me."

"Hmph... cause I made a fantastic job of that with others." Ash sighed, detecting the real annoyance now.

"From physical harm..." she poked him. "Emotional harm? You can't protect anyone from that, Raul. Not even yourself." She stuck her arm under his, looking up at him to make sure he had got the message.

"I know, boss," he replied with a small scoff. "I know."

Behind them, Dean had stuck his hands in his pockets, looking a bit annoyed at being left out of the loop from the conversation the other two were obviously having. But he knew better than to interfere, Ash would probably send him a glare that only a woman could muster. Not to say her 'brother' would frown as well. If he was going to stay on good, or even better, terms with Ash, he knew he'd need to have Raul on good terms as well. Besides, it was just for the best that Ash could talk all her problems off on Raul now, it saved Dean from listening to the crap. So why did he feel at all peeved at the situation?

The day went on, under the hot sun and constant walking that was sure to make every ghoul gripe about it eventually. But neither Ash nor Blake wanted to pause because the most dangerous area near Vegas was exactly the housed area outside of it. It was here there were a lot of hideouts and possibilities for ambushes. House only cared about New Vegas itself, so he hadn't put any energy into defending the outskirts of it. Perhaps one day he would, she figured, as she hadn't seen half the changes he had in mind yet.

It had been difficult not to see Vegas in general the last days, but now the city was clear as day, as it was so much closer. It was an obvious relief for the whole party, for different reasons. The other ghouls up ahead chatted wildly about what they were going to do and how nice it was going to be to enter a civilized environment again. Blake was silent, keeping an eye out instead. Ash was just happy for being back somewhere where wild animals wouldn't sneak up on you at least. Even New Vegas had enemies for her still, just of a more human nature. It was only inside the Lucky 38 she truly felt safe. But something felt amiss too, as she glanced over at Dean. Her 'mission' was complete and Dean had been kept safe, but things still felt unresolved and she doubted that would ever change. She would drop any feelings she had for him eventually, and it wasn't the first companion she had been with and then lost. Besides, he'd still be in Vegas. Question was for how long, since... well, Dean was still Dean.

Dean was keeping to a similar thought pattern, walking next to Ash and Raul. One of the gates to New Vegas was visible now, its entrance marked by the letters and the colorful lights, almost melting in with the background that also consisted of a lot of lights, just like before the war. It was now back to the normal life, as normal as it got. He had actually missed performing and the audiences, having gotten a taste for it now after 200 years of basically being alone. Singing was a large part of his life and it always would be. Not that... wandering in the Mojave and getting shot at or running from Deathclaws wasn't fun, but it wasn't exactly his choice of life. That was Ash's choice.

He wasn't much enjoying his thought pattern as they entered the gates to the city. It did mean passing through Freeside at first but it came with no problems. Since it was late afternoon, it was still bright enough so people were around on the streets doing business. For a moment Dean wondered if the ghouls could even enter the Strip as the guard stopped them, but not Ash's company. Ash was about to step up to the securitron but after some scrambling together the ghouls could prove they had in fact the amount of money required to pass through.

"Had no idea it was that expensive…" one of the female ghouls muttered.

"I'm sure Mr. Domino would have paid our way inside otherwise," the other smirked, glancing at Dean who completely ignored her. That woman sure was delusional, he thought though with an inward huff. Besides, neither of them looked even close to good, he certainly had higher standards than that. A small part of his mind knew very well that he had no right to have higher standards, considering he was a ghoul but… he still had. He knew very well where his standards were.

Ash was sure she saw near disappointment in the ghouls' eyes, as they entered the Strip. Probably it wasn't as… fantastic now as it had been before the war. But then one of the female ones whispered to the others and after some nodding, they seemed to change their tune, probably realizing that New Vegas was, after all, better than anything else in the Mojave… maybe even other areas beyond. Ash couldn't pay more attention to them though as Victor rolled over to her from the Lucky 38, his screen having a happy expression… although that wasn't very new.

"Howdy, partner! Good to see you again!"

"Hello, Victor. Good to see you… well, whole," Ash nodded.

"Oi, smoothskin," Blake called out, interrupting them. "We're headed to the Tops for some food and stuff… obviously we don't need each other anymore. But I guess we'll see you around."

"Well, I live here so, probably yes. Can you handle that?" she called after him, seeing him facepalm, despite having his back to her already.

"Don't push it," he called back, lifting his middle finger over his shoulder, as the ghouls walked off. Even the Strip seemed more important than Dean at the moment for the female ghouls and he was just relieved over that. Although both he and Raul rolled their eyes at Blake's gesture. Ash merely chuckled, turning back to Victor.

"I'm not sure how that is amusing," Dean commented lightly at her indifference.

"Eh… with enemies like Blake, I consider myself fairly safe," she replied amusedly.

"Mr. House would like to see you in his office right away," Victor continued towards Ash. "He's been waiting for your return." The woman arched an eyebrow, wondering what was up really, looking at the two ghouls.

"I'll head to the apartment," Raul said slowly, glancing over at Dean.

"I'd suggest you behave, idiota," he told the man, before walking off.

"He's still sour about earlier today, I take it…?" Dean asked Ash.

"He's… concerned. Don't worry. He's harmless. Unless you'd decide to shoot me here and now, of course. Revenge is something he's very familiar and stubborn with."

"I'll keep that in mind," Dean replied flatly, giving her a more serious look under the glasses. Ash felt a slight tension, not sure what to say, which she knew was ridiculous.

"Well, you're back in New Vegas as promised," she nodded to him, realizing how forced it sounded. "So, I suppose we'll part ways here." Dean was smirking now, before lowering his glasses a bit.

"If you think you're getting rid of me that easily, you're quite mistaken," he told her coolly. "Besides, there's still the payment to deal with."

"Oh. Yeah and the anti-material rifle," she continued drily. "And some other gear…"

"Comes with the job… I'll come over with the caps once I get the time to spare."

"Yeah, do. Else I'll get it myself." Dean laughed in a not-too-impressed manner, putting on the glasses properly.

"Don't worry, I'll be there," he winked, before walking off. Ash looked after him, before following Victor inside the Lucky 38.

Ash tried to brush off the worst of the dust inside the elevator, as Victor's machinery quietly hummed right next to her. She didn't look exactly presentable but since House had requested her presence right away, he had only himself to blame. She didn't get much time to clean herself up since the elevator was fast and Victor rolled out before her on the clean floor of Mr. House's own floor.

As usual Victor stood waiting by the elevator as Ash walked down the stairs to exit the balcony. She had barely walked up to the large screen, showing Mr. House's pre-war form until it buzzed into action.

"There you are," he said. "I was wondering how long you were going to take your leave."

"We... ran into some complications," Ash replied. She was less formal with House than she had been before, mostly because she quickly grew tired of the whole "Boss and lackey" routine. It was obvious by now that House did not care for small talk or irrelevant information. That's partly why she had been surprised he actively cared for her life, to the extent that he'd even get involved half across the Mojave.

"Thank you for... keeping an eye on me," she continued out loud.

"You're a good agent. Personally I'd rather you didn't run off on personal errands like that but... your freedom is what makes you useful," House said, in his usual stern manner. "Removing it would no doubt affect your capability. No matter, I assume your business is complete?"

"Yes, it is."

"Good. Something has come up while you were gone, something that requires... a more human approach. Normally I'd send one of my securitrons but it is my concern that they will have an... unwanted effect."

"I thought pretty much every settlement in the Mojave was aware of your control and your securitrons. At least to know better than to be hostile towards them."

"Of course they do. This isn't a human settlement and I don't want to provoke some ravaging mutants to attack New Vegas. Even if they don't succeed, they'd still make some damage. I'd rather avoid that. From my understanding you have experience with the mutants at Jacobstown?"

"I do. I suppose you want me to head up there for various reasons?"

"One important reason actually. But it'll remain... classified for now. I'm sure you understand, _courier_."

His emphasizes on her profession made it clear that this was going to be a delivery job and that she shouldn't be asking a lot of questions. Not that she minded, this was House's business and she preferred it stayed that way.

"I understand," she said.

"You're going to receive a package to be delivered to Doctor Henry. And him alone. That means, I expect you to make sure none else lays a hand on it."

"You already know I take my job very seriously, House..." Ash frowned a bit. His superior tone was one thing, getting reminded how to do her job was another.

"Just making sure you understand how serious this is..." House continued, surprisingly in a more mellow tone. He obviously pretended to ignore her eye roll as he continued.

"I know your experienced some traumatizing events during your errand. So for the sake of maximizing your performance, this task is not one you need to do right away. Rest for a while, engage in whatever nonsense you entertain yourself with. I'll have Victor deliver the package when the time's appropriate."

"Oh. Alright, I assume there was some rush since you called me up right away," Ash blinked, as she looked down at the floor where she had already dropped off a small pile of dust and dirt.

"I needed you to know in advance. So you can prepare accordingly. If that was all, you're free to leave." Ash tilted her head briefly.

There were no goodbyes or anything, as she turned back to the elevator. Despite the rather cold exterior of House, she preferred it this way. To not have all the responsibility, which she could have chosen a long time ago.

"Where do you want to go?" Victor asked her, as she entered the elevator.

"My apartment. I could really need a bath..." Ash muttered as she smelled her clothes.

"I think you look just fine, partner. Like a proper traveler."

"It's not just the looks, Victor..."

"Well, I can't comment on the smell, I'm afraid."

"I know."

"Don't worry, I'm sure your friends will help you with that."

"... Yes, I'm sure, Victor."

"Enjoy your bath," the machine continued, as they stopped for the actual apartment and Ash left the elevator merely waving after Victor. He certainly hadn't changed, she figured with some amusement. An over-energetic dog met her straight away, waving his tail and letting out some happy barks until he seemed to recall his training, sitting down properly so Ash could pet his head.

"You've been a good boy, I hope, Rex," she smiled at the animal, who barked in reply. Cassidy entered the hallway, moving over to abruptly clap Ash over the back, causing the later to cough.

"Good to see you again, Ash," the red haired woman grinned. "Had enough of ghouls now, eh?"

"How much as Raul told you?" Ash asked drily, as she knew the ghoul was already somewhere in the apartment.

"Not much. Just that there has been a lot of ghouls. Especially one particular famous and snobby ghoul."

Ash rolled her eyes, putting her fingers to her temples.

"Remind me to kick Raul after my bath," she frowned at Cass, who laughed. Even if Cass didn't know the exact details, she had probably pieced together enough already on her own, judging by what she knew of Ash.

"I will," she winked amused at Ash, who walked off with a sigh, towards the bathroom.

* * *

><p><strong>I've always pegged Raul as overprotective of the female Courier, considering his past.<strong>

**This is unfortunately more of a filler chapter, but the next one will be more interesting, I promise. Plus, I got several pages into the other too, for once. :P** **Thanks for still reading despite my lack of updating, it will be easier for me now to do so now that I've gotten some order back into my life, until next year anyway. **


	28. A visit

Not more than a day had passed since Dean had arrived to New Vegas again and he already found himself heading towards the Lucky 38. For business alone, he told himself as he patted the chest pocket where he kept a bag of caps hidden. The people at the Tops had naturally been thrilled to see him, but that didn't mean they could get him to perform as soon as they wanted. No, Dean would perform when he was good and ready. Which he wasn't, as he stopped shortly outside the Lucky 38, as one of the securitrons outside buzzed to life with a familiar image on the screen.

"Where's Ash?" Dean asked the large robot, who had since long acknowledged his approach. Victor's machines hummed, as if searching for an answer.

"I am pretty sure she had told the… higher power of the tower about me," Dean continued, almost lazily, folding his arms across his chest, what was left of his left eyebrow arched.

"What's your name?" Victor asked.

"Dean Domino."

"Yes, you have been mentioned and have access to knowing Ash's whereabouts."

"Charming…"

"She's in the backyard."

"You have a backyard?"

"Unknown to most but a selected few do know of it. Just head inside and go to the other end of the room, there's a door out." Victor rolled to the side, allowing him to enter through the doors. Dean hadn't been inside the Lucky 38 before but he had heard of it. And he was quite surprised upon stepping inside since the place looked so… untouched. It was as if time had frozen in there and for the best. Considering Ash's interest in everything old… it made sense why she preferred to live there. Nostalgia only stopped him for a few seconds before he proceeded to the door he had been pointed to, pushing it open.

The backyard consisted of a field of grass mostly with a few bushes and trees spread out. If he wasn't mistaken he could even spot patches of bushes and cacti with edible fruits. Huge walls surrounded it, which would explain why most never learned about it.

Ash wasn't hard to spot since the yard was fairly opened and he headed her way, when a dog suddenly jumped out from the bushes between him and her. It bared his teeth at him, fur standing on edge on the few places of its neck that wasn't blocked off by metal, it seemed. Ash had momentarily blinked towards Dean before moving over, giving the dog a light pat on its side. It stopped growling, but continued to stare at Dean.

"How the heck did you get in here, Dean?" Ash asked, as the ghoul scoffed.

"My charm, of course," he said, before getting interrupted by a loud bark from the dog. Ash smiled a bit amused before reaching over, taking Dean's hat off. The dog relaxed immediately, sitting down to look at them.

"Rex doesn't like hats," she explained amused, handing Dean the hat again.

"Peculiar dog."

"Yes, he developed that long before I met him… you know how old people are…"

"No, I do not and you'd better not either."

Ash threw away the old frisbee she had in her hand, Rex chasing after it the second she did. Perhaps not the most dignified behavior from a former work dog, but she thought he had earned some fun now and then.

"Really though, how? Victor must have… known about you for him to even let you inside," Ash persisted.

"Apparently your boss knows about me and that was enough to… what were the words… grant me access to knowing your location," Dean said, arching an eyebrow at her.

"Oh. Well, that makes me wonder just how much he knows."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Well, he does own a casino, so obviously he'll want to keep an eye on… thieves."

"I'll pretend I did not hear that…"

Ash whistled after Rex, who came running, carrying the frisbee still.

"Come, let's go inside, I was done out here anyway," she told Dean who shrugged casually, following her back inside though. She seemed less tense, but then, so was he after a proper bath and a good meal… not to say decent clothes again. Even if he had gone back to a similar suit, he still liked to wear the long jacket and a hat when outside on the street. Not that it'd hide him much, considering what he was, but it still felt… better somehow. Besides, it wasn't unheard of famous people hiding behind proper clothes. Ash for that matter had changed clothes as well, using what seemed to be a black gunslinger outfit for the lack of a better word. No doubt Raul's taste had been a certain inspiration regarding her own clothes.

"I'm surprised you're allowed outside the Tops already," Ash pointed out as they took the elevator up to the main apartment, Rex following.

"_Allowed_?"

"Well... you're valuable. They must have lost a lot of caps while you were gone, I'm sure they'd have a performance fixed for you the moment you walked back inside."

"Did you suffer another memory loss since I last saw you? Since when do I take orders from _anyone_."

"I recall you doing that a few times from me," she pointed out amused, as she stepped out of the elevator, heading straight for the kitchen. Dean sniffed the air in the hall, almost suspiciously, before following, watching her, as she handed a bowl of food to Rex.

"You're a woman. It's... polite to pretend you're in charge," he said, smirking.

"So that's how it is," Ash feigned seriousness, much to his dismay. "Funny, I am pretty sure I was in charge a lot of the time."

"Don't push your luck, dear..."

Ash lifted her hands briefly, still smiling though, before heading to the main room, him following. He quickly realized it was her own room actually.

"Bloody hell..." was his first reaction upon seeing the shelves and tables with various, very random things. Some certainly weren't things you normally displayed openly like that, like the old bottles and cans. He moved across the room as Ash paused by the desk, looking after him. The skeletal hand of a Deathclaw had caught his attention as he picked it up, surprisingly carefully, looking it over.

"Not something I'd expect you to... treasure," he said coolly, as Ash snorted, almost dismissively, while rubbing her hand over the scar on her neck.

"A further reminder..." she replied, as she looked over at the shelf behind the desk, spotting the gold bar from the Sierra Madre vault. Her gaze swapped back to Dean's back quickly before she brushed the gold bar right down into the trash can next to the desk, rather surprised she actually hit it. The following clang of course got his attention as he looked over his shoulder, she merely shrugged in response.

"Some things not even I keep around," she said, as she walked around the desk, throwing some paper down into the can as well, to cover the gold. It was a silly notion perhaps, but for all she knew Dean might get genuinely mad over the fact she got some gold with her home, while he got none. Except a lesson learned, which she thought was more valuable.

Dean put the hand back down on its spot, coming over, to tell her off, she thought, but he passed her by and proceeded to examine the shelf.

"Knew my eyes weren't that bad... I'd recognize this crap from anywhere," he snorted, as he grabbed hold of the small bottle, which contents she still couldn't name. She arched an eyebrow at him, as he rolled his eyes.

"Cloud residue?" he frowned. "Actually thought I'd never see one of these anymore. Even more thankful I'll never have to taste it again either."

"I thought you liked it?" Ash teased, as Dean gave her an incredibly dry look before putting the bottle back, without as much as looking towards it.

"It was a necessity."

He realized something suddenly, pulling out the bag of caps he was carrying, before handing it over to Ash, now that they stood close enough. Another reminder he didn't… really want. Or did he?

"Here's part of your payment. Don't worry, more is coming, but I will have to send people over with it. There's no way I'll carry over thousands of caps in one go. Which reminds me, you should ask your boss to introduce a new system of currency. You know… go back to…" he said, looking around briefly before holding up one of the old bills Ash had collected on the desk, among other places.

"…paper," he finished, stretching the bill between his hands once. "It's a lot more efficient, trust me."

Ash snapped the bill out of his hands with her free hand, the other holding the bag still, before she put both things on the desk.

"Thanks," she replied. "I'll forward your suggestion, just don't expect anything," she added a bit amused. She was about to go around him, when he grabbed her wrist suddenly, stopping her from doing so. He wasn't sure himself why and there was no turning back now, as she obviously expected an explanation.

"I'm curious," he started. "About some things that… happened lately during our trip." He had to remind himself to keep his tone neutral, at most curious as to her behavior.

"Like what?" Ash asked, looking surprisingly steady at him as she gently pulled her wrist loose from his grip before sitting at the desk's edge, folding her arms across her chest.

"Do I _really_ have to spell it out? Very well," Dean huffed as he in response to her withdrawal, placed his hands on the desk, next to her sides. "Lingering glances…" He snorted in between. "Lingering _touches_ for that matter too… among other subtle things. You're insulting the both of us by pretending you don't know what I'm talking about."

Ash knew very well what he was talking about, although she was fairly sure he had no right to pin it all on her. She could recall a few moments on his side too. She moved a little, out of instinct for being cornered like this, both mentally and physically. Never having been a fan of playing on social aspects like Dean, she truly didn't know how to respond to them. He obviously did and it was a weakness on her side he was exploiting right now. Probably fully aware of it too.

"Wait… is that… gold?" Dean's voice reached her mind suddenly, as she blinked, confused by his choice of words. His hands had been removed by now, as he reached down in the trash can, picking up the gold brick. Ash cursed silently, her involuntary move a few moments ago had apparently hit the trash can and bumping around the papers enough for the gold to show.

"A gold bar…" Dean continued his voice no longer smooth as it had been a few moments ago. It was cold and suspicious now. Ash used the current distraction to move out of the way and to a more comfortable distance as Dean watched the gold in his hands before placing it firmly on the desk, giving her a sideways glance.

"Is it…?" he asked as the woman rolled her eyes.

"Yes, it's from the Sierra Madre. I managed to take one bar with me, barely."

"You told me there were no gold there. The very thing I sought for 200 years… and you lied about it?"

"It was for your own good, alright?" Ash's arms were already folded across her chest. She wasn't afraid of his supposed anger right now, in fact, she was rather glad he had dropped the _other _subject. But it took her a few moments to recall that Dean didn't like being crossed… or lied to. In other words, made a fool of.

"What makes you the judge of that?" he frowned annoyed, his hand still planted on the bar. "What gives you the right to take and hold back what _I_ rightly fought for!?"

"If it wasn't for me… you'd never have reached the vault at all." Dean's frown grew outright furious, but he was given no chance to retort as she continued.

"You would have walked down there... and died."

"What?"

"Sinclair had made a file for you on the computer. Reading it would have locked down the vault behind you, for good. Sure, you'd have the treasure and all the gold bars. But you'd die eventually." Ash couldn't help but feel sad over the notion. Well earned death to a man like Dean, many would say. She thought it was only cruel and unnecessary. But she hadn't lived then, nor did she truly understand the reasoning behind the people that lived back then.

Dean looked more surprised than angry now, but he found his bearings quickly, scowling again.

"I wouldn't bother reading his files. I had no interest in what excuses he made up, I only wanted what was his," he huffed, sounding angry still.

"As if you wouldn't throw yourself at a file that contained your name from Sinclair! It's the first thing you would have checked, we both know that. Even he did. You'd have died, Dean. A slow, painful death in the end, because I can tell you there was more gold than food down there. But perhaps you would have preferred that… perhaps I'm alone in preferring you alive."

They both went silent, remaining tense, Dean mostly out of shock and Ash out of anger. The ghoul glanced back at the gold bar, letting go of it slowly, before moving past Ash and towards the elevator that was still open. Ash watched him leave, not at all surprised. Most likely his ego had gotten a proper beating this time. If he only understood her intentions the way she had meant them. But she had obviously been wrong in assuming he was over the whole Madre event. 200 years of him living there under that obsession should have told her enough, really.

When the elevator closed, she huffed loudly going to place the gold bar back on the shelf she had dedicated to the Madre. It was more of an automated reaction than anything else as she wandered out from her room, feeling a little at loss. She enjoyed Dean's company, the thought that this little event might put her on his hate list, wasn't a thrilling one. Rex quickly found her, probably sensing her concern, as he put his nose to her leg, looking at her.

"Well, that teaches me for underestimating old ghouls," she sighed, petting the dog's head, where she could reach without being stopped by any metal. What was funny… or sad, the gold had been more important than she, it seemed.

* * *

><p>Later the same day Ash wandered back into Mr. House's office, without announcing her arrival to begin with. The securitrons followed her every move as she approached the screen, waiting for House to take notice of her. He did almost instantly, as his face on the screen flickered to back to life.<p>

"Yes?"

"I know you said Victor would approach me when the time was right. But I'd like to get this little job finished right away," Ash replied coolly, having her arms folded across her chest. She doubted he'd protest, since he valued efficiency above all. The delay had just been for her sake after all.

"This is unusual," House said instead. "According to the statistics, you've never asked to take a job before its appointed time. And I've tracked them all."

"So?"

"Most likely there's another reason to why you want do the job right away. Personal reason most likely. Which makes me question your judgment."

"My judgment is _fine_," Ash frowned. "Are you really going to complain about this?"

"I don't 'complain'. I am being cautious. I don't want you to fail your task, because of personal issues."

Ash grew silent, having no interest in debating the matter, as she looked away from the screen, chewing on her cheek a bit. Ever since Dean had stormed out of the apartment she had felt horribly out of sorts. Leaving New Vegas for now, seemed like the most reasonable action. It had always been her solution when things with other people got complicated. To move away in order to think about it properly. Some would call it running away probably.

"Victor will bring you the package this evening," House said suddenly, breaking the silence luckily, as Ash felt silly playing that game with a screen. She nodded once, making her leave but she was stopped in the stairs as House spoke up.

"Best you ignore the ghoul for now."

Ash glared at the screen briefly, before heading back to the apartment. She knew for a fact there were no cameras in there; she and Raul had basically scanned the rooms and hallways, since neither much appreciated the notion of House looking into them. After a few minutes, she realized that Dean had most likely stormed past Victor as well, leading the robot to make the assumption of a talk ending bad. No wonder House knew about it then.

Not even that was held private!

* * *

><p><strong>I consider this chapter a small... leap of faith... it contains two things I'm not a fan of writing! Gotta start somewhere though... :P Anyway, I'm not really ready to let go of this fanfic just yet. Good? Bad? We'll see.<strong>


	29. The thief

"Oh, come on now, Ash!" Cass called after the other woman as she ran about in the apartment, preparing for her next mission. "Don't be angry… and certainly not about a man! Not worth it…"

"I'm not angry," Ash huffed, giving Cass a quick glare over her shoulder. "And certainly not… over him!"

"You never were a good liar either…" The dry remark made Ash spin around, causing Cass to almost crash into her.

"Well, I'm not angry for the reason you think," Ash corrected herself as Cass grabbed her shoulders gently.

"Ooof course not," she replied, not sounding one bit serious. "You're not _at all _feeling hurt and betrayed over his actions."

"…How do you know about… our talk anyway?" Ash asked, realizing that Cass was still holding on to her shoulders and she couldn't help but wonder if the other woman was a tiny bit… tipsy.

"Well, I was in the apartment when it happened. Pretty hard not to overhear. I'm pretty sure Raul heard it too." Ash facepalmed at that notion, reminding herself to have a chat with Raul before she left.

"Anyways, how much do you like this man? To be honest, I'm shocked I'm even asking this about… a ghoul, but hey, whatever… floats your boat." Cass continued, casually waving her hand, before returning it to Ash's shoulder. Ash made a small turn with her head to the right, feeling more and more awkward by the minute.

"Like and like…" she started slowly, as Cass rolled her eyes, finally letting her go. "I don't know!" Ash huffed again at her reaction. "A little?" It was again about the small guilt for even feeling that way, let alone admitting it to anyone.

"Okay, you don't have to say it but anyone can figure out he means a lot to you, despite being an asshole."

"Hey!" Ash frowned, as Cass smiled demurely at her reaction. "Sorry, he is a bit of an asshole actually," Ash corrected herself, folding her arms across her chest. But that was the charm actually… and frankly, not counting the last fight, he hadn't really been an asshole to her for weeks. As in fact he had even tried to be helpful, in his own way, more than she had ever seen him before.

Cass arched an eyebrow, watching Ash's expression change as she thought about the whole thing, before giving her a pat on her shoulder.

"He can't be too bad judging by how your face just lit up," she remarked drily as Ash beat her hand away with a not too amused frown.

"Not that it matters, he seems to hate me for keeping that gold bar a secret," Ash shrugged afterwards.

"Hah! You know its women who are supposed to be so easily scorned, not men! He really is as… fancy as he acts. Honestly, Ash, we both know now that you're obviously the most mature one here. Can't you just sweet talk him into forgetting the whole thing? I mean it was yesterday, he can't possibly be that angry still."

Ash made a grimace that said very much otherwise, considering how long he had plotted his revenge and for how long he had tried to reach the Madre's treasure. Cass had a point though. She could easily go over and talk to him. Worst case scenario, she'd get shot on sight by him, but she doubted he'd risk getting thrown out from the Tops. Normally she wouldn't even entertain the idea, she was stubborn like that. But when it came to proving a point to Dean… then, yes, her grudge could skip a day. She wanted to think she was more mature than Dean in that regard.

"You may have a point. Perhaps not sweet talk, that's what he does best… but he does like winning too… and that goes for anything, even maturity," she shrugged, almost amused at where her mind was going, or so she thought. Dean wouldn't expect to be played with.

"Sounds like you have a plan then," Cass grinned. "And I'm ready to add some more to it, if you just listen".

* * *

><p>Ash felt like an idiot, walking back into the Tops. Tommy greeted her in his usual cheerful manner, so Dean couldn't have talked to him about what had happened. Which wasn't surprising really. Dean wouldn't have made a show of even being close to angry. Quietly seething was more his thing. Quietly seething AND planning his revenge most likely. Tommy happily gave her permission to go backstage; a long corridor with a few worn doors. Despite everything she had been through, ant infested rooms and streets with ghost people… this corridor still made her almost more nervous than those!<p>

She cleared her throat, mentally slapping herself for being afraid of this, of Dean. But doubt was settling in, perhaps she had misjudged him. Perhaps he was so angry that all he had thought before had just vanished. Ash paused outside his door, lifting her hand to knock on it, her jaws clenching together as she went through what to say in her mind.

The door opened suddenly, revealing none other than Dean about to step out. He paused as he spotted Ash, looking about ready to knock on his head. His expression hardened under the glasses, while Ash just stared at him in near shock, before finally lowering her hand.

"So, you come crawling back?" he asked drily, every word slow on purpose. Ash narrowed her eyes briefly, irritation popping right back up at his attitude.

"Does it look like I'm crawling?" she asked in the same manner, folding her arms across her chest defensively. "Also, hello to you too," she added with a scoff. Dean's face didn't change, his thoughts about this completely unreadable. He just watched her, until he had to focus his attention on lighting up a cigarette. The girl looked more nervous than she wanted to let out, that much was obvious, even if she was annoyed too.

"I'm heading back out in the Mojave tomorrow morning, up to a small, old settlement in the mountains," Ash said, taking a step back to avoid the smoke, besides, she was sure Dean would purposefully blow it in her face anyway. "If I find anything of value, I'll bring it back to you."

"What?" he asked, keeping his gaze on the cigarette.

"It's an old place. There might even be something resembling your glory days," the woman shrugged.

"If I wanted anything from you, _Courier_, I'd have taken that gold already. Spare me your attempts at making good again, I'll have none of that."

"Who said I do it for you?" Ash replied, her tone catching him off guard as he looked at her properly. She looked herself again suddenly, as she normally did even after nearly having gotten killed. He shrugged his shoulders sharply, his head bending forward for a short moment as if inclining for a better answer.

"Yes, of course you wouldn't understand that," Ash said, her tone almost condescending. "You think just because I'm still offering you help, I'm what… sucking up?" she continued before he had a chance to retort and she had seen him start doing it; of course he had not appreciated that tone used on him.

"I am not, Dean. I'm simply being the better person by acting like an adult. And as an adult, I am helpful by nature. Even to stubborn old fools, like yourself. That insight is no help to anyone but me."

With that she turned and left his room, leaving him standing there, having almost bitten down on the cigarette in anger. He plucked it out abruptly, watching her leave, jaws tense and face scrunched up in a deep frown.

"God damn that woman," he huffed, as he walked back into his room, shutting the door firmly behind him. Who the hell did she think she was, just wandering in there and telling him that she was better than him! While that hadn't been her exact words, it might as well have been. He had expected the girl to be weak and clumsy in matters like these. Not that… self-confident, even if she was those things with everything else. He _knew_ her too well for that. Something felt wrong, frankly…

He had no real desire to bother with her again, that he had told himself a lot the last day. And he was going to continue to do so. But… darn it; she had spoken of a place that might contain old things. That could serve him well, and he wasn't sure he wanted her grabby hands all over it. Or use it as leverage against him.

* * *

><p>Ash returned to the Lucky 38, not sure if she had succeeded or not. Her unsure expression caught Cass's attention at once while Raul merely paused in the main hall before walking on, slight disapproval in his face.<p>

"So? How did it go?" Cass asked, holding her hands together in near excitement.

"I'm not sure…" Ash replied, petting Rex a bit off minded.

"Well, did you do as we planned?"

"Yes."

"Then I'm sure you succeeded. This… Dean sounds like someone who doesn't want to be out-matched, in any regard. Even in who can be the most mature about his argument of yours."

"Honestly, Cass, when did you become this wise?" Ash asked, the tease clear in her voice.

"A lot of whiskey. And a lot of foolish men. Just trust me on this. Wait and see. Also, you may want to go and talk to Raul. The old ghoul seems upset about something and well… I don't think it's anything I did."

Ash nodded once, as Cassidy left, no doubt to gain even more wisdom from her whiskey, or possible work on further plans for herself. Ash went to find Raul, recalling him having gone into one of the living rooms in the suite.

"Cass said you seem upset," she said once she saw him, working on an old rifle that no doubt had broken down, by one of the tables.

"I'm not, boss," he replied, not taking his eyes off the rifle.

"Come on, Raul… you know I always want your honest opinions," she pushed it, as she sat down next to him. "You also know I can't stand old men being upset. It's disconcerting."

Raul gave her a non-too impressed look at her tone, eyebrows raised. He knew the tease well, she always used it and it always worked.

"I am _not_ upset, boss," he insisted, looking at her now, much to her relief. "I'm just… concerned. About you. And your obvious interest in Dean."

"Oh." Ash felt awkward again, as if she was having a conversation about a touchy subject with her parents all the sudden. It didn't come as a surprise really, since Raul was the only authority figure she had at the moment.

"I'm not interested in him!" she continued, not really believing herself. "Why?" she asked instead afterwards, looking annoyed at herself.

"He's an asshole, boss."

"Well, that's certainly straight forward…"

"The subject's obviously bothering you. And you wanted an honest opinion…"

"So, it's not because he's a… ghoul?"

Raul put the rifle down this time, turning to face her.

"You could develop an interest in a deathclaw for all I care, boss, as long as it was nice. This is a human being, who's an _idiota_ to say the least." Ash blinked at him, not even wanting to imagine the former.

"Look, I'm not trying to dissuade you, Ash…" he continued, putting his hand on her shoulder. "But at least keep an eye out?"

"I always do that… know better than to fully trust him, even if I'd like to think I can. Besides, you may be worrying for nothing," she shrugged amused.

"Yeah, no. No, I'm not. You may also want to tell him that I'll shoot him if he hurts you. I got… experience in shooting those kinds of people." Ash chuckled, standing up while kissing Raul's cheek.

"Thanks, Raul… you're so adorable," she told him.

"And so I will remain, boss."

She shook her head amused as she left the room. She still had some preparations to make before tomorrow morning.

* * *

><p>Dean wasn't too fond of being made to wait outside the Lucky 38, like some common visitor but Victor had refused to let him in, by saying that Ash was on her way down anyway. Stupid machine, assuming it was Ash he wanted to see in the first place. It was very early in the morning so not many others were even awake at this hour and those that were didn't seem to notice who he was, with the same black jacket as before, as well as a scarf and a hat. He was already regretting his foolish decision to stay here; standing here in this morning cold was not to his amusement, the sun had barely risen, for crying out loud!<p>

He moved off from his perch against the wall when he heard the elevator open and Victor roll to the side. She had put on the NCR ranger coat and clothes again, well aware that none would bother her or check with her to see if she was a ranger or not. The only real difference was the ordinary hat she had, plus a scarf around her neck. Ash stopped abruptly when she stepped out, not having been prepared for it actually, hoped yes, but actually prepared, that was another thing.

"Dean?" she asked at the lack of anything else to say.

"I'm coming with you."

"Uh… okay, why? I thought another bomb would be needed to drag you out of a civilized place like the Tops…"

"While I do prefer it here, in an actual city, there seems to be something to be gained from your trip. Might as well tag along and make sure you don't steal that too." Dean's words were nonchalant and probably meant to hurt, but Ash merely shrugged. The fact he was here, meant that Cass's plan had worked. It was hardly because of the trip he had come, but rather to show that he wasn't backing down. It was quite funny to realize these things thanks to another woman.

"How… delightful. Well, at least you seem prepared this time," she noted at his clothes.

"I'm not an idiot," he replied, gesturing for her to get a move on. She rolled her eyes; fairly sure one could bathe in the tension. She merely nodded before she started to walk, heading for the exit from New Vegas.

They went in complete silence, neither saying a word, or as much as breathing near one another for that matter. Ash didn't mind all that much since she was busy making sure the road was clear and safe. She was just glad that this trip would take a few days at most, if not less even. Jacobstown was quite close to them compared to the destination in their last trip after all.

It wasn't until they were beyond New Vegas and back out on the actual road, the mountains looming up in the near distance, that anyone spoke up and it was naturally Ash.

"So, you need to know a few things about this area… It's not a desert like the rest of the Mojave. It's an actual forest… if we're unlucky there'll be snow too."

Dean groaned quietly, as if debating whether to answer or not until he did so, despite his want to not give a damn.

"Snow…" he said instead. "Well, I hardly knew the Mojave were capable of snow… not like most of Europe."

"The forest will be our real problem. Hard to see and since it's actually flourishing… there's a lot of animals. Big ones." Dean glanced at her or at her back to be more precise. She had a sniper rifle on her back, not the anti-material one, a subject he wasn't going to start again either.

"Well, you're properly armed again," he said. "Despite being a thief, you can shoot well…"

"Oh, stop calling me that," Ash huffed, having had enough of that particular term. "You're not much better yourself you know! You steal things too, either directly or indirectly!"

Dean have her a glare, not about to admit she was right. He had stolen… and he loved to do so as well. He withdrew back to a grumpy silence, not finding much else to do. The area around them were flat and boring, with only a few animal skeletons peaking up from the ground here and there. An old vehicle sometimes joined them, reminding him yet again of how things used to be. He almost envied Ash; to her such things as vehicles were just like a tree or a rock, part of the environment. To him, it was a constant reminder of how much better the world was before the bombs. And how easier it had been.

As the hours went, he noticed a great difference in how the environment changed. It started to look less and less like a desert and more like an actual forest. The plants were greener, taller and just seemed more alive than the Mojave plants. When the actual trees and pine trees started to appear, he was near shocked.

"This place looks basically untouched by the bombs," he noted out loud, forgetting he was not supposed to talk to the girl. Ash glanced at him, smiling faintly under her scarf. Dean's surprise was obvious in his tone, whether he let it or not. But the break in the silence was appreciated on her behalf.

"Most of the Mojave does, you know," she pointed out. "It just doesn't show. Here it does. I've heard it's a big difference in most other cities. They supposedly have barely any green plant life or healthy water. Thanks to Mr. House, Mojave was spared the worst."

She bent down as she talked; plucking a large, light green plant from the ground, holding it between her fingers. She then handed it over to Dean who took it with a somewhat doubtful look. He had only seen the Mojave since he had left the Sierra Madre and had assumed it was the worst the world could offer right now, since it was a desert after all. Even if he had known about Mr. House's ways of protecting the Mojave, he hadn't really taken it in his thoughts. If Ash was telling the truth, then… well, he didn't much like the idea of the other cities looking like the Sierra Madre, even if a lot there could be blamed on the Cloud. He tossed the plant to the side, finding himself in a bitter mood now. Nostalgic perhaps even.

"I suppose it'll all grow back eventually," Ash shrugged, as if noticing his mood. "It will just take time. No doubt you're used to things taking time now, no?" she asked almost amused.

"Frankly I care little for how the world outside New Vegas looks like," Dean lied coolly. The idea of being stuck forever in Las Vegas didn't appeal to him much; he was used to traveling around before the bombs and after having been stuck in _that_ place for 200 years…

"Is it far to…wherever we're going…?" he asked her afterwards, as she brought up her arm and the pip-boy.

"Jacobstown. And we should be there before it gets dark."

"Good. I still do not approve of walking this much." Ash shook her head. Nothing new there after all.

* * *

><p><strong>More of a filler chapter to prepare for the good stuff. Delays and what not doesn't make for efficient writing and I'm trying to learn as I go.<strong>

**Doesn't help either that I've been distracted by Skyrim's version of Dean, Teldryn Sero... .**

**Thanks for reading!**


	30. Nature

The road barely existed anymore up here; plants and tree roots had started to tear it apart, causing small buckles large enough to trip you over if you weren't careful. Ash thought it was beautiful up here if nothing less. But beautiful often meant dangerous as well, at least in plant and animal life. So as much as she enjoyed the view, she had to keep an eye out as well. Dean paused now and then, as if lost in thought when watching certain trees or plants. Ash didn't comment but paused as well when it happened; watching him quietly, wondering what was going on in his mind. Something nostalgic for sure; this was the closest to the world before the bombs she could picture herself. Way before the bombs, she figured, before the humans had really started to ruin the world. It was an interesting prospect really. Dean always started to walk again with a small grunt, as if cursing himself for allowing his mind to wander so much that he actively paused and had Ash wait for him.

By late afternoon the snow-covered mountains ahead of them seemed much larger than down in Vegas, naturally, but Ash always found it fascinating.

"It would be fun to one day wander up there," she said, pointing towards the actual mountain. "To touch the sky once." Dean followed her look before looking back at her, allowing himself an amused expression. That childish naïveté he had almost forgotten about her. It was long ago now that she had displayed it after all.

"And the humans used to fly up there, imagine that," he said.

"I'd rather not. To sit in a metal machine in the air… no. At least on a mountain I'd still have my feet on solid ground."

"Oh, you'd get over it…"

Ash didn't reply because, looking at the road ahead of them she could now see something blocking it. Something large. She picked up her pace a bit until she saw it was several pine trees that had fallen across the road. The particular area was thick with trees and cliffs, making even going around the road a big hassle. She gestured for Dean to follow her, as she took off to the side instead, looking for a safer path through the terrain.

"I find it quite ironic that there are so many trees here that we can't even get past them…" Dean noted drily behind her, before a small branch was slapped in his face; by mistake, judging by her quick apology.

"Ugh, nature…" Dean muttered under his breath, as they pushed past between the trees. A loud grunt abruptly stopped them as Ash glanced back at Dean.

"Was that you?" she asked, seemingly tense.

"No!" Dean huffed, before the grunt came again, followed by the sound of cracking twigs. Something large was moving nearby, heading towards them and Ash sped up as much as she could.

"Move it! It's a bighorner," she warned Dean. Most likely a bull one inspecting the noise they were creating and she'd rather not end up fighting that thing in this forest. They made some distance, before Ash suddenly disappeared from Dean's view, followed by a long thud.

"Ash?" he called out, confused, as he hurried up to her spot, only to end up almost falling backwards when he realized there was a steep slope by his feet. He leant over the edge of the sloping cliff side, looking down it until he could spot Ash furthest down. She was lying still among the rubble, pebbles still rolling down on her.

"Bloody hell…" Dean spat between his teeth, looking over his shoulder. The bighorner had moved on by now, apparently finding them to not be a threat worth dealing with.

Dean carefully climbed over the edge before sliding down the hill. The fact he was conscious meant he could avoid the sharper bits, something he had a feeling Ash hadn't managed. He stopped short next to her, before heading over and turning her over to her back. He winced at the blood in her face, coming from several cuts.

"Brilliant," he muttered to himself. He knew enough about wounds to know that they needed a closer look, but hardly out here. He sat her up against one of the larger rocks, before checking her bag. His guess was correct, as he fished up a long piece of cloth. Ash always came prepared, probably more prepared than she had thought she needed to be this time. With a quick look around, he proceeded to wrap it around her head, until he felt it wouldn't fall off easily at least.

It was quiet around them except for the sound of the wind blowing in the trees. Dean had never approved of silence like this; it almost seemed like a bad sign. Besides, he still remembered very well the fright of silence replaced by suddenly breathing ghost people. To be frank, he felt rather vulnerable out here, and now he had an unconscious woman to deal with too.

"Ash, wake up," he huffed at her, giving her a light slap in the face. There was no reaction whatsoever and the ghoul, if possible, made an even more annoyed sound. He grabbed hold of her arm and the pip-boy there, checking the map. According to it, they weren't that far away from Jacobstown but it was still 30 minutes or so of traveling there. And it was getting dangerously close to evening.

"Wake up, or I am damn well leaving you here to rot," Dean continued towards Ash, although he was rummaging through her bag again. He found a stim pack that he quickly injected into her arm, looking at her face for any signs of the effects. It probably wouldn't heal such a deep cut but it might wake her up at least. When her eyes fluttered opened, he sighed, looking around them again.

"Good, you're awake. Seems you live another day," he said somewhat unhelpfully, as her hand went up to her head, rubbing it with a grimace. She frowned at the cloth when she put it back down, before looking at Dean. She looked unfocused, not to say quite dizzy.

"For heaven's sake, get a grip, woman," Dean chided her, feeling the rush of wanting to get somewhere safe before it went completely dark. The sun was already settling behind the mountains. Ash got up gingerly, at the same time as Dean and he reached out to steady her subconsciously really. He then picked up her bag, lifting her pip boy with his free hand.

"It's not far, you can faint again when we're there," he said almost jokingly. He moved ahead, aware that she was following him although a bit more slowly. He hadn't felt this nervous since… since Goodsprings, when he had basically handed her over to Bill. Question was, was he more nervous about his own safety or hers. At the moment she couldn't defend either of them, let alone herself, the way she was staggering behind him. Stim packs didn't exactly remove the pain after all, and he had found no med-x in her bag.

The next 30 minutes went in absolute silence, Dean mostly stifling urges to rush ahead in hope that Ash would speed up. The girl couldn't have better timing as she collapsed when they were within sight of Jacobstown. It was what Dean assumed anyway because in the approaching darkness, he was sure he had seen the sign that said so. He did groan at her collapse, but went to her side anyway, trying to drag her back up when he heard unusually heavy footsteps coming towards them. He looked up, eyes growing wide behind the sunglasses, upon seeing the two super mutants heading towards them. One of them had their weapon lifted, the other looked more calm, which was a strange word to even use for a mutant.

"What's going on here?" the calmer one asked, as Dean had let go of Ash again, his hand reaching inside his jacket for the pistol, whatever good that'd do against those two giants. "Don't even try, buddy," the armed mutant huffed. "Besides, you don't look like a match to us anyway."

"Shows what you know," Dean replied in his usual bravado. His best experience with mutants had been God or Dog; whatever the mutant in the Sierra Madre had called himself and that was little and none too positive experience to start with. Just another thing to add on his list of things to be annoyed at with now, too much was happening in too short time now and he wasn't even sure how to deal with it. Let alone to deal with the need to protect both himself and the girl, against super mutants!

"Not all come here to pick a fight," the first one said, as he walked up to Dean and Ash, though his focus was mostly on Ash. Even if Dean did pull a gun on him, at this range, the mutant would easily be able to literally swat the ghoul away. Dean decided not to risk having his own back broken and barely cause a dent on the mutant in the process… it wasn't exactly what he called a fair pay off.

"It's Ash," the mutant looking at the woman said, before he looked at Dean. "She's injured," he stated almost as if he was about to blame the ghoul for it.

"Oh, don't give me that look!" Dean spat out, irritated. "She got herself injured on our way here, not my fault." He paused, realizing something suddenly. "You know her?" he asked before groaning. "Stupid question, the girl seems to know everyone!"

"Ash helped us out a bit," the mutant explained, as he picked her up in his arms, making her look tiny by comparison. "Henry will be able to patch her up well enough. As for you ghoul, I'd keep that weapon holstered here. The Nightkin are nervous, even if you ghouls are generally more accepted than the humans."

"Sounds like a charming place…" Dean muttered, but he followed the two mutants back inside the ski resort; a place looking nothing like its former glory, he was sure. It was dark to boot, a few nightkin looking in their direction, especially Dean's.

"What is it now, Marcus? I have little time for interruptions!" the human, annoyed voice came from the room they walked into. The mutant holding Ash, merely grunted in reply before putting her down on one of the beds.

"I'm sorry, doctor, but someone needs your help," Marcus said, turning away from the bed. Dean stood in the doorway, arms folded across his chest and tense like a bowstring, not sure which thought in his head to act on. No one noticed him! He was sure if they had known his actual name, they'd bother a bit more… but it could wait until after Ash had got some help, even if he was reluctant to do so.

"I've told you a few times now; I'm not that kind of doctor!" Henry scoffed, as he crossed the table filled with bottles and other science related items, to head over to the bed.

"Oh, it's her…" he said coolly, as Dean rolled his eyes, lifting his hands up in frustration. Henry tipped Ash's head to the sides before snorting.

"Small cuts, concussion at most maybe," he said. "Nothing a doctor's bag can't fix. She's been through worse." He wandered off again, behind the shelves, tables and boxes, before returning with the bag he needed. As Henry tended to Ash, Marcus turned around towards Dean who barely gave him a look in return.

"Who are you?" the mutant asked. "I don't recognize you as one of Ash's traveling companions."

"I'm glad that you asked," Dean said drily. "Dean Domino and I'm a new traveling companion to the apparently famous Ash."

"Domino… you're on the posters," Marcus said slowly, as if searching his memory. "Yes… from what I can recall you've clearly kept your attitude over the years."

"What's that supposed to mean!?" Dean asked sharply, his eyes narrowing behind the glasses. "I was one of the best, I'll have you know."

"Of that I am certain. Perhaps I was too hasty. Since you're traveling with Ash, you must have some redeeming qualities."

Dean was almost seething loudly by now. Clearly, he was the only intelligent one to have survived the bombs! Talking to this… beast was like talking to a critic and that was one thing he did _not_ miss!

"I do…" he said, the ice in his tone cold enough to remove the warmth in the room. "Now, as to my _real_ purpose here, am I allowed to take a look around?" he frowned. "I've heard this is an old place, perhaps I can find something related to myself here…"

"Be my guest," Marcus shrugged. "But if you steal something, it's on your head. Ash is in good hands meanwhile."

"Good." With that Dean turned around, refusing to waste more of his breath on that oaf.

* * *

><p>It was later that evening he came back to the doctor's room, looking more disturbed than he had in some time, disgusted almost. Looking through a place where mutants lived wasn't something he was going to do again. Ever. Ash was seemingly sleeping on the bed where Henry had left her; her coat removed and neatly folded on a chair next to her. The man himself was in the other end of the room, his focus back into whatever he was working with. He did throw a quick impatient glare towards Dean who returned it over the brim of his glasses, too annoyed with everything and everyone right now to bother hiding his frustration.<p>

The only one he could even have a tolerable conversation with was knocked out cold, as he sat down next to her bed, not only annoyed but also… tired. Tired of many things. And bored. Very bored.

"Blast it, Ash, wake up already," he muttered, rubbing his forehead.

"You can mutter all you want, she's probably not coming to the nearest hours," Henry called out from his position and Dean looked at him under the hand, wondering why the hell the doctor was even talking to him for.

"Why not?" he asked, despite himself.

"She's running a fever."

Dean frowned, moving a bit to place his hand on Ash's forehead instead, while Henry walked over to him. Her skin was hot to the touch, pale as well, now that he looked closer.

"Concussions don't cause fevers, do they?" Dean asked, further annoyed now but for more personal reasons this time.

"No. I could need to hear what happened before I can fully tell why she's running a fever all of the sudden," Henry shrugged. "She's got some amount of bruises and cuts as well."

"We rushed through the forest and then she fell down a cliff side," Dean shrugged in reply. "Not a steep fall, nor high, but she was unconscious when I reached her."

"Hm. Into the forest, you said? No doubt through the foliage as well then."

"Obviously."

"It's possible she's been poisoned by something then or having an allergic reaction to a plant…"

"What…? Are you _crazy_? The girl's been shot in the head, in the legs and probably in numerous other places, not to say survived deathclaws and ghost people attacks! Are you telling me that a _plant_ is causing her to fall apart now?"

"It's a reasonable guess considering the fever. And again, I am not a doctor! I know how to treat basic wounds and use medical supplies, that's all. I've done what I can for her now… you can use the spare bed if you want to remain here, as long as you don't bother me."

Henry walked away again to resume his work, Dean glaring after him. He wasn't sure he bought the other man's explanation. It sounded ridiculous that a poisonous plant or allergic reaction would take Ash down like that. He sighed, leaving her side to go and remove his own coat and throw it over the bed he could use. The least he could do was to try and get some sleep, he figured as he lied down.

* * *

><p>Sleep hadn't come easily and once it did, he was soon woken up again by… voices he was sure. He was about to tell the people off for talking when he realized the room was near pitch black. Assuming he had gone insane now, he sat up abruptly to switch the nearest lamp on; surprised he didn't stumble to the floor in the process. The door to the room was shut and there was no sign of Henry. It did seem to be in the middle of the night though so perhaps not so strange. The muttering came again and now he realized it came from Ash, who was twitching a little where she lied.<p>

Dean said her name as he approached her, wondering if she was awake but he quickly realized she wasn't. As in fact she seemed to be dreaming, something unpleasant to boot. He shook her shoulder a little with no result before touching her forehead. Still burning, so perhaps it was a fever dream then. The ghoul grumbled something under his breath, for some reason feeling bothered by the fact.

He sat down on the chair next to her bed, lightning a cigarette in frustration; perhaps not the best move near Ash but he needed it right now. Fairly soon he was humming to himself, a word or two slipping out in some old song going through his head. It was relaxing for him at least but he could swear Ash had stopped twitching too. He reached out, placing his hand on her shoulder to make sure, arching an eyebrow.

"Well, you always wanted me to sing," he snorted afterwards, as he continued to hum and half sing in the faint light, as much for his own sake as hers.

* * *

><p><strong>Lots of improvising in this one! <strong>


	31. Stars

Coming awake the next morning was an easy thing to do, as Ash blinked into what seemed to be a pillow. She turned a bit, frowning at the roof, feeling a bit funny all over. She recognized the place almost immediately, even if it made her wonder how the heck she had gotten to Henry's office. The last she recalled was… her and Dean avoiding a bighorner.

Ash sat up, reaching to rub the back of her head almost instantly, as the headache came over her like a wave.

"Ow…" she muttered afterwards, lifting her head to look around.

Speaking of Dean, where was he? Or anyone else for that matter.

Groaning, she got up from the bed, feeling a bit stiff and cold oddly enough. Even her skin seemed to itch a bit. Scratching her bare arm, since someone had removed her jacket, probably to treat her, she walked out of the doctor's office. There were some mutants nearby, though none paid her any particular attention as she leant on the doorframe, sighing. She felt really out of it and she hated that, especially in a place were weakness could be frowned upon; even if she was welcome among the mutants.

Someone moved next to her suddenly, grabbing her right arm where she had been holding her hand already. She couldn't hide the sigh of relief when she realized it was Dean who quickly put his other hand over her shoulder, as if steadying her in her surprise.

"About bloody time you woke up," he frowned, though his gentle grip told her that he wasn't exactly annoyed over anything.

"What? You missed me?" she teased him.

"Even your company beats… these brutes," he replied after a few moments. He was very relieved to be honest but he'd rather the girl didn't know that. He guided her back into the office and made her sit down on the bed's edge, since she didn't seem entirely steady and he'd rather she didn't faint and fall again.

"What happened to me? Did that bighorner get to us or what?" Ash asked, grimacing as she touched her face, feeling the soreness.

"You promptly walked off a slope and hit your head," Dean explained drily. "Barely managed to get you here before you fainted again right outside Jacobstown."

He paused, looking towards the hall for a moment.

"That's when your friend Marcus appeared with a guard," he continued. Ash arched an eyebrow, pausing with feeling over her face.

"Did you know…?" she asked slowly.

"I did not. Luckily they explained things quickly; else I would probably have shot them. They brought you to Henry. He suspected you had a concussion and an… allergic reaction. You've been out for over a day."

"Wait, back up. You were going to shoot at mutants? With your pistol?"

"Shouldn't you be more concerned about the allergy?"

"No, you possibly getting yourself killed shooting at mutants with a pistol is more alarming."

"Well, what was I going to do? You were to no help, knocked out cold by my feet! Someone had to protect y- …me. I mean me."

That stupid girl really brought out the worst in him; he huffed to himself after that obvious blunder. Ash had arched both eyebrows at him now but she had no chance to reply when a nightkin stormed inside the room.

"Grandma came as soon as she heard you were here, dearie!" Lily Bowen called loudly, her straw hat tilted to the side more than it usually was. Judging by the dirt on her she had probably been herding bighorners somewhere the last days.

"I'm fine, Lily," Ash smiled briefly in hope to alleviate Lily's concerns.

"_Grandma_…?" Dean asked quietly as he made a confused face.

"Dean here brought me here safely," Ash continued, gesturing with his head to the ghoul. She had barely finished the sentence when Lily abruptly lifted up Dean from the floor in a tight bear hug, threatening to break his back no doubt.

"Gah! Let me go at once, you barmy… _beast_!" he shouted in between choking for breath and generally coughing and throwing a fit. Ash had backed up in the bed in a hurry by now as if to avoid the mere proximity of the hug; first shocked and then bemused as Lily was just expressing her gratitude to Dean. Whether he liked it or not.

"Lily… you're choking him," she finally said out loud. Lily gave her a quick look before she dropped Dean as abruptly as she had grabbed him, giving him a chance to regain some much needed air as he clutched his chest, almost bent over. Ash got back up from the bed, touching Dean's shoulder until she got a reassured hand wave from him as he straightened up again, brushing off the dirt that Lily had basically planted on him.

"Good man that! Is he your husband?"

"What? _No_. No, he's not!" Ash protested quickly.

"Good to know the very idea seems less pleasant to you than having a shotgun in your face…" Dean remarked coolly, as Ash glared at him, as flustered as she was.

"Such a shame, you'd make a nice couple," Lily continued thoughtfully. "Heavens know you could need a man to look out after you, dearie! It would save your grandma a lot of concern."

"Are you going to explain the grandma thing?"

"Lily, why don't you go tell Marcus I'm fine, in case he also worries?" Ash said slowly.

"Oh, don't worry! I'll leave you two lovebirds alone."

Lily marched out from the room, leaving Dean and Ash in an uncomfortable silence, as the latter sat back down on the bed, sighing in annoyance. Lily's honesty and lack of subtlety had never made her this embarrassed before.

"So…" Dean started, folding his arms across his chest. The whole situation had him more amused than anything else. Which concerned him, he was more and more forgetting Ash's gold theft and he wasn't sure he should just drop it altogether or not.

"I think I remind her of one of her lost grandchildren, that's why she insists on calling herself grandma near me," Ash explained before Dean could expand on whatever question he had. "She's very… protective."

"And impulsive," he added, rubbing his back momentarily. "Among other things."

"…Yeah, I need food," Ash said suddenly, getting up again and leaving the room in a hurry. Dean followed; he had nothing better to do anyway and frankly he didn't want to bump into Lily somewhere again, alone.

* * *

><p>While Dean and Ash ate the food they had brought with them from New Vegas, both Marcus and Henry stopped by the main hall where they had decided to eat. Marcus mostly to make sure Ash was in fact alright now and Henry to make a quick check up before confirming that everything was fine and the allergic reaction, if it had been that, was mostly gone. He had left again with the advice to avoid needlessly running into the plant life until she could find out which plant had caused the problem. Unless it had been an insect responsible for the reaction in which case she just had to be lucky to avoid it again.<p>

"You know, when you get back to New Vegas you should get a proper doctor to look you over," Dean commented drily shortly after Henry had left them.

"Perhaps. It's only ever happened here and once… I don't come here too often," Ash shrugged, too busy wolfing down the food to really bother talking.

"Feels a bit ironic to be taken down by a plant or bug when I survived a gunshot to the head though," she chuckled.

"That's what I said too. You are one lucky human I guess, _dearie_."

"No, Dean. Just no," Ash warned him. "So… what have you been doing while I was out for the count? Avoiding the mutants I guess?"

"As much as I could; difficult in a place swarming with them. I had enough with God… or Dog, whichever. I did, however, get a chance to look around a bit. There's some very old things here, before the bombs even."

"Oh? Anything related to you?"

"Some posters… few holotapes. An old magazine titled 'Stars'. That time's… worst gossip provoker."

"Really? I need to see that!"

"No, you don't."

"Yes, I do."

"_No_."

"I'll fetch Lily."

"Argh, _fine_."

"That's settled then, come now."

Dean sighed, but went to lead her to the right room; a large one with several sofas and chairs. There were remains of a fireplace by one of the walls and shelves with old books. He pulled out some things from one of the shelves, tucked in between the books, before dropping them off on one of the sofas.

Ash was fast with grabbing the magazine he had brought out too, sitting down on the sofa to read it. Dean was slower, since he was more bothered by the whole situation as opposed to Ash's amusement. She flipped through a few pages before pausing to read.

"'Dean Domino, a star of our times or a menace?' I see you were just as charming back then as now," she noted amusedly.

"Hardly mattered. I entertained a lot of people and those that saw my talent wouldn't waste time commenting on my… methods," he frowned.

"And look. Already back then you threatened people! This interviewer was told to 'take a hike in hell'. And this one-"

Dean yanked the magazine out of her hands, narrowing his eyes at her before unfolding it to read himself.

"How about 'this devilishly charming singer will live on in our hearts for years to come'?" he asked.

"Disgustingly nice. How much did you pay them to say that?"

"She wasn't paid anything."

"A she, huh? I don't want to know what you did then."

Dean rolled his eyes, before glancing at Ash as she grabbed one of the holotapes.

"Old songs?" she asked.

"I think so."

She flipped between the holotapes, although it did her little good since they weren't marked with names. She put them back down again, except for one that she looked at for a bit.

"Would you mind if I kept one?" she asked him as he looked back up from the magazine.

"Why would you?" he asked.

"You won't sing for me so I'm grabbing the next best thing I can," she shrugged.

"Fine." If she wanted to listen to him even when he wasn't there, that was her prerogative. Although a bit of him felt some nostalgic pride at it.

"Thanks. And stop hogging that magazine, you've already read it, no?" she smirked, as she yanked it from him again. The magazine itself wasn't all about Dean, but other artists and actors as well. How simple things seemed to be for them back then. Their clothes were beautiful and elegant, not to say clean; clad with expensive jewelry. One picture in particular stood out, one of New Vegas… or Las Vegas rather, as it was named back then. The glitter and glamour was clear; the colorful lights seemed twice as impressive as they were now. The city was about as big back then as it was now, just more whole and more populated.

"How do you stand it?" she asked suddenly, waking up Dean from his thoughtful state, as he looked at her and then the picture she was referring to.

"Las Vegas?" he asked puzzled.

"How it looks now. Your world seemed much better than mine. How do you stand it?" She could see his eyes behind the glasses from her position, how he looked at the picture for a long while before glancing back at her.

"No choice. Besides, after the Madre, I expected the world to look a lot worse than it seems to do. And after all that time, I wasn't about to just lie down and sulk at what once was anyway."

"No, I bet you plan to conquer Vegas as the best entertainer," Ash smirked amused. He chuckled briefly, looking back at the picture.

"Well, this time isn't without its perks," he shrugged amused.

"Oh?"

"Very little competition regarding entertainment for instance."

Ash shook her head with a smile, before flipping pages in the magazine. Dean was thankful she hadn't pressed the issue, because the truth was there were few perks. The fact she was one of them wasn't something he could voice without admitting to several things.

When she flipped to a page that showed his own picture, a notion of nostalgia seemed to stab him. She was right really, sometimes he could not stand how the future had turned out for him but there was precious little he could do about it. But it was at times like this that he felt the least comfortable with being what he was. Granted without that, he would have died long ago too.

"For that matter I have sung for you," he stated after a while, making her look at him.

"Humming doesn't count," she replied.

"Last night when you were still out of it. Granted I was taking the chance to keep my voice in check but you were in the room so," he shrugged.

"That doesn't count either, I wasn't awake!"

"Not my problem."

He ignored her glares, sitting back in the sofa properly, stretching out his arms along its back, one knee over the other. He did throw one look over his shoulder towards the door, in fear that Lily would appear again. Beyond that, he found the whole situation oddly relaxing. Until he realized that if he stretched out his hand a little, he could basically touch Ash's hair. His fingers flexed briefly after the raven black hair, before he fisted his hand, recalling himself even over the increasing temptation.

Again, he questioned his own reaction as he pulled back his arm, pretending to be scratching the side of his head with a finger. Instead he reached for her arm and the pip-boy, activating what he knew was the radio channel by now.

"Better," he commented at her look, as some old song started playing, leaning his head on the sofa's back. Would it really have been so bad to give in? It felt like he'd lose too much if he did. The respect she had for him, his own pride… not to say a lot of awkward situations no doubt. The knot in his stomach said otherwise, that there was a lot more to gain.

Ash was still looking in the magazine, although she had reached the end of it by now, showcasing some large gala that looked like it had been quite interesting.

"Hey, I recognize that dance," she said suddenly, pointing down to one of the pictures. "It's the one you showed me." Dean lifted his glasses briefly to look before snorting amused.

"I seem to recall I mostly dragged you around," he noted amusedly.

"Well. You did."

"I had to! You moved with the grace of… _mole rat_, is it?"

"_Excuse me_?"

"What, you got a better term for what you were doing?"

Ash gave him a downright sour look, before getting up on her feet, dropping the magazine on the sofa. He arched an eyebrow under the glasses, as she pulled him up as well.

"I don't think this is a good idea, Ash. You're still… recovering," he pointed out as she pushed him out over the floor, the pip-boy sounding with calm soft music.

"Beyond a few itches and fatigue, I'm fine," she frowned. "Besides, you're insulting me. Now teach me this dance… again."

Dean rolled his eyes, although he quickly realized this wasn't a good idea for him either. Still, he complied with her request, wondering how serious he should take this. Probably not too much since she was biting her lip, keeping an eye on their feet already; not a good sign in other words.

As expected the first move, although slow, still ended up with him basically dragging her with him, even if she moved fluently enough to make it look like it was on purpose. He continued the lead for a good few moments, realizing that it was very different from the first time. Ash in general seemed more relaxed and a lot less awkward with the idea. Not to say focused.

"You know, I can show you this ten times and you still won't learn it," he told her coolly. "And before you hit me, it's because dancing is an art and it takes time to learn it. Nothing you do in an afternoon."

With that he purposefully made a complicated move with his feet, almost tipping her over.

"Yes, I could take your words for it, thanks," Ash said drily, as she steadied herself.

"How adorable."

The new voice startled them both, as they stopped to look towards the doorway, Ash pulling away from Dean. She frowned, instinctively reaching for a weapon, which she didn't have, upon seeing none other than Angryl by the door.

"The freakish couple dancin' away like the real world doesn't exist," he continued slowly, arms folded across his chest as he was leaning against the doorframe.

"What the bloody hell are you doing here?" Dean asked coolly, using the same tone that he did with anyone who he didn't think was worth his time. He was hardly surprised to see Angryl and his appearance bothered him greatly. Ash too, considering her rather intense glaring at the man and he smiled inwardly at that; at least he didn't have to worry about Angryl in that manner anymore.

"Can't a man visit some old friends?" Angryl asked amused, shrugging. "I had to… ask around to actually find you, granted, but there are many loose lips in New Vegas, so it was fairly easy."

"You, my dear boy, need to set some new priorities in your life beyond stalking people, before you get hurt," Dean told him, in all feigned well meaning.

"What are you goin' to do? Shoot me?"

"I may cough on you."

Angryl scowled, as Dean just smirked knowingly; he knew what Angryl thought of ghouls and he probably assumed such a silly action actually had a chance of making him into one as well. Ash crossed the room, going to pick up the holo tapes and the magazine, lumping them together in her arms before walking up to Angryl, Dean following.

Angryl reluctantly moved out of the way, allowing her to enter the corridor behind him. Dean paused next to Angryl, looking at him sternly for just a moment before following Ash.

"I can't believe he's followed us here!" Ash snapped as soon as they were out of hearing range. "Tempted to have Marcus throw him out, he's a bigot after all and won't last long here among the nightkin."

"You still care about his health? Seriously?"

"Not really. But I doubt he's a real danger to anyone, his death seems unnecessary… More bark than bite."

"Stalkers were frowned upon even before the bombs. Also is that expression still around?"

"I read it in a book somewhere… it seems fitting here."

They reached Henry's room again and Ash immediately went to stuff the things she carried into her bag.

"Hey! What are you doing?" Dean protested. "I'm not letting you steal those things too!"

"I'm the only one with a bag," Ash reminded him slowly, as she gave him a somewhat hurt look. She thought he had forgotten that by now, but it seemed he'd be carrying around that grudge for a longer time still.

"Just making sure…" Dean replied calmly, not missing her face but he wasn't about to apologize for a legit concern. Ash continued with the bag, pulling up another small package that she thoughtfully looked over.

"I knew I had forgotten something…" she said afterwards. "We need to find Henry and deliver this. Mr. House will have my head if I lose it."

"What is it anyway?" Dean asked, casting a curious eye on the package as well.

"I don't know, nor do I care. I expect the same from you."

"Hmph. Curiosity never hurt anybody. But how can you stand not to know what's in the packages you deliver, are beyond me."

"Shame."

Dean gave her a small glare for that one, before she wandered out of the room again, heading straight towards the nearest mutant. The mutant bent down as she poked his arm, in order to hear her better.

"Where's Dr. Henry?"

"He inside Marcus's… office," he replied, seemingly thinking through the reply properly.

"Thanks."

Dean followed as Ash made her way to the offices, which she apparently knew the way to. Henry was there, as expected, clicking away on Marcus's computer.

"Ah, it's you. How are you feeling?" the doctor asked once he spotted them.

"Fine, so far, thanks. Look I came to Jacobstown for a reason, doctor," she explained. "To deliver a package. Just forgot it in all that happened."

Henry kept typing for a few more moments before shutting down the computer and standing up to look at the package in her hands. He snagged it from her suddenly to look through it further, before nodding almost excitingly.

"Ah, yes! I've been waiting for this one!"

"What is it?" Dean asked, taking the chance and ignoring Ash's hitting on his arm.

"Important research component," the doctor replied absently.

"You'd make a terrible courier," Ash frowned at Dean, who could only shrug, a bit bemused actually. Ash sighed though, not feeling relaxed at all yet.

"Now there's just Angryl left to deal with," she said, glancing at Dean, who's face quickly grew annoyed again.

* * *

><p><strong>Sorry about the delay again, a cold and eye infection plus what I thought was tinnitus for weeks, have been pestering me the last month; plus that this chapter was a monster. It went through a lot of changes and edits before I came up with something. I don't feel fully finished with Angryl yet and this seems like a... workable situation.<strong>

**I spent the whole evening re reading the fanfic too, which was sorely needed!**


	32. Humor me

The noon passed surprisingly peacefully considering that Angryl was in the building. As in fact, if he hadn't found them before, she wouldn't even have known he was there at all. It was quite clear he had followed them so why was he hiding alone in one of the spare rooms? The only reason she knew that to begin with was because she had advised Marcus to keep an eye on the man, which he did.

"You know, you should be thankful he's not bothering us," Dean replied when she voiced her concerns. _He_ certainly was.

"Thankful, yes. But it is strange."

"Maybe you want his attention?" the ghoul smirked at her but he got a glare in return. "Or not. Look, stop concerning yourself with him. If you're that healthy, we should start heading back to New Vegas instead."

"I just can't stop thinking he's here to cause some kind of trouble. For… revenge or whatever; I don't know how he thinks!"

Dean got up from where he was sitting, to stand in front of her and grab her shoulders gently, causing her to arch an eyebrow at him.

"Listen to me very carefully," he said slowly, looking at her. "Perhaps just this once you should _not_ care? Because frankly, this place is as boring as the Madre, and somehow even smells worse!"

"That's hardly a justifiable reason…"

"Just humor me, will you?"

Ash bit her lip thoughtfully, when Henry suddenly stormed into the room, looking annoyed and disturbed all at once.

"Courier! I need your help in my office, now," he said quickly, before marching out again. Dean let out a long sigh, letting go of her.

"Dearest Ash to the rescue, no?" he said afterwards, gesturing for her to go first with both hands. She gave him a somewhat chiding look before going after Henry, following him to his office, along with Dean.

"The package you gave me," Henry said, as he stopped in the middle of the room. "I put it on my desk shortly after and now it's gone! Someone must have stolen it!"

"That's a bit of an accusation," Ash said, giving Henry an almost doubtful look. "Did Calamity move it?"

"No, she says she hasn't touched it."

"Misplaced it then?" Henry narrowed his eyes at her.

"I may be old but I'm not _that_ old, young lady," he said sharply, as Ash's face furrowed.

"I didn't mean like that," she said defensively afterwards. "If someone stole it, then who?" she continued, giving Dean a look, which he promptly returned with a sour gaze.

"Don't even think about it, courier," he said, his tone not amused.

"Can't blame me…"

"Eh, yah, I can," he scoffed. "If I ever did steal something, and I stress the _if_, I wouldn't steal something worthless."

"Good for you," Henry frowned. "However that thing is very important for my research."

"And I am sure the world is, erh… _lesser _for it, but it is worthless for me. So no, I didn't take it."

"Who the heck would steal it…?" Ash frowned thoughtfully, looking around the office. "Is that thing even valuable?"

"Unless you are working on my particular research… no," the doctor replied. "I strongly doubt many in the Mojave, if anyone, even understand it."

"Perhaps someone dislikes what you do?" Dean suggested coolly, briefly watching the cigarette between his fingers.

"Hardly. None should know my location, let alone have the courage to really steal from a mutant hold. Not to say, they would need to have a decade's long grudge against me!"

"You'd be surprised for how long people can actually hold a grudge…" Ash smirked amused, exchanging a look with Dean; the ghoul narrowing his eyes at her.

"_Still _going with that?" he asked drily. "Do you hear anyone laughing?"

Ash rolled her eyes at his attitude, so did Henry but probably for other reasons, as he headed over to his desk, as if it'd bring forth the solution any further.

"You did tell me to humor you," she continued in Dean's direction who folded his arms across his chest.

"_Not_ like that," he stated. Her smirk just made him sigh slowly, with an almost growling noise from his throat.

"If you two are done," Henry interrupted them. "There's someone I suspect could have stolen the item actually," he said afterwards."Our newest… visitor. I do recall seeing him skulk near my office at some point."

"Oh, for crying out loud!" Dean exclaimed.

"Point actually…" Ash sighed. "Maybe he followed us when we took it to you," she continued, nodding towards Henry. "From what I've gathered, he's one to try and find quick caps. Whether he realizes the danger or not."

"Well, whether it's him or not, I think it's worth paying our mutual… friend a visit," Dean smirked coolly.

"If he's still here," Ash arched an eyebrow. "We'll check it out, Henry," she added towards the doctor who nodded gratefully.

"Now you must see reason and decide to dispose of that wretched man," Dean muttered to Ash as they made their way to where they had last seen Angryl.

"We don't even know if he did it, yet…" she replied with a small frown.

"You're hoping he did it."

"What? No!"

"Oh come on. You don't even like the guy. You killed, what's his name… Benny for being a slimy git as well!"

"That's quite different… Angryl's only been crazy and rude. Benny was mostly that and tried to kill me. _Twice_," Ash said almost vehemently; as always whenever Benny was brought up.

"That's what I'm saying. Better act now before you have another Benny growing up."

"Are you purposefully trying to rile me up, Dean? You know I hate the mention of that man."

"_I'd never_!" His downright innocent smile said the very opposite and she gave him a very sharp look. In her already continued state of annoyance, she slammed the door open to the room where Angryl was hiding. She turned about; ready to ask what the hell was going on, when she realized that directing such a question to an empty room was unnecessary. Dean heaved a long, bothered sigh.

"Hide and seek, eh?" he asked Ash who continued to stare into the room before she turned on her heel, heading to the lobby in the building where Marcus was.

"Where's Angryl?" she asked him, almost sharply and skipping the pleasantries.

"He's not in his room?" the mutant asked, but he didn't really wait for an answer, calling over one of the guards who stomped over. Ash waited for them to finish talking, her arms folded across her chest, even as Marcus turned back to her.

"Apparently he's left the building some time ago," he sighed, sounding a bit vexed about the fact he hadn't been told. "From what you said, that's a good thing, isn't it?"

"Maybe not, if he ran off with something vital to Henry's research. Whatever _that_ is," she replied coolly. Marcus groaned loudly.

"Great. The good doctor's no doubt upset then," he said, mostly to himself afterwards.

"Upset would be a mild term," Henry himself said, as he came up next to them. "I can't continue without that! And getting a new one wouldn't be just pricey but also take way too much time! You _must_ go after him!" he continued, turning to Ash.

"Noo, she doesn't," Dean frowned immediately. "Don't you people have someone else to help you, _for once_? We need to head back to Vegas… not run across the Mojave. _Again_."

"No doubt the little scoundrel is heading to exactly New Vegas," Henry said, his voice barely restraining his anger at the theft. "Very few other places where one could even sell such a device…"

"Well, you can't be sure," Dean frowned before Ash interrupted him.

"I'll take a look in Vegas, Henry. But I can't promise anything, since it's a very farfetched theory."

"And by taking a look you mean starting a bloody investigation…" Dean grumbled under his breath, sticking his hands in his pockets.

"Better get moving then, if you want a chance to catch up to him," Marcus pointed out. She nodded, heading back to Henry's office along with him, leaving Dean with the super mutant.

"I do appreciate this, Ash," Henry told her as they walked. "But be careful, you're not fully recovered yet."

"I'm recovered enough to deal with Angryl. Besides, I'm not alone," she replied as she put on her full clothes again, along with the weapons and the bag.

"Still. The ghoul's got no medical knowledge."

"You'd be surprised," Ash smiled, almost tenderly and without realizing it herself.

"I'd rather just have that package back."

Ash chuckled before waving her goodbye and heading back out in the lobby where the other two were still standing. If she didn't know better, it looked like Marcus and Dean were sizing each other up in their own ways; the latter as posh as possible.

"Everything alright, gentlemen?" she asked, arching an eyebrow.

"I was just telling Marcus here what a thrilling visit it has been," Dean said, almost icily.

"And what a… pleasure it has been to have Mr. Domino here," Marcus concluded, in the same tone though a bit more restrained than Dean's was.

"Right… I think it is best we got going then," Ash said slowly, giving Dean a nudge in the arm as she passed him by.

"Before you provoke _super mutants_," she continued to him in a hushed tone as he caught up.

"Rubbish. Marcus seems surprisingly tolerable for a super mutant. Still, I'd be lying if I said I wanted to stay here any longer."

"I figured as much. Don't worry, we'll be back in New Vegas soon enough."

"Hardly, with the number of people you constantly decide to help."

"Not this again… Dean, I will help people, end of story."

"_Ugh_, you really need to grow a bit more selfish, woman. It was always annoying; now it's downright infuriating."

"You're right. I should be more selfish. I should have killed you all in the Madre when I had the chance too."

"That's not…" Dean frowned. He huffed quietly for himself after that. She had a point. Her good nature is probably what helped them live through it. "Only because it served you to have help," he said instead. She gave him an unimpressed look that he simply pretended not to notice.

"We're going to New Vegas, relax, Dean," Ash said afterwards. "Then you can be on your merry way back to the Tops and perform to your heart's content. With your… pre war things," she continued, rustling the bag over her back. Dean only grumbled; what if he didn't want to be on his way somewhere… alone, of all things. It was dull being alone in the Madre; it was dull here as well. He sure was handling this nicely; saying one thing but meaning another and confusing Ash… and himself.

* * *

><p>They fell into silence after that, making their way back down from the forest and mountain side. It was a slow walk, much to Ash's chagrin. She wished she could blame it on Dean but it was her fault; she normally never got this tired this fast. Dean was silent about it, not complaining beyond the occasional snort or scoff whenever she took a quick pause; maybe he was thankful for the break as well or just too busy thinking about something.<p>

By the time they reached the lower parts of the mountainside; where the familiar Mojave shrubby and dry grass started to replace the greener plants and actual trees, it was already late afternoon, close to evening in fact, considering the faintly settling sun. Ash was annoyed about this; she had hoped they'd at least be fully out from the cliffs by now; they would have if she hadn't been slower than normal.

"We can't continue any further," she said after awhile, almost reluctantly. "We need to find some place to spend the night. Down there by the slope should be fine."

It wasn't a village, more a collection of small buildings; maybe an old gas station. A final fill up before heading into the mountains no doubt. The actual station was barred up so Ash checked the nearby structure that seemed to be an old barn. Large and mostly empty; there were some signs of an old campfire near the back, as well as old bottles and cans.

"Well, this looks good enough," Ash decided, heading back out to see if there was any fire material nearby. While she scrounged up the supplies around the barn and the gas station, Dean stood 'watch', casually smoking outside the barn. He was enjoying it until something caught his attention further back. Something very fast was flickering across the grass; darting around in circles and occasionally heading towards them.

"What the heck is that…?" he muttered, narrowing his eyes under the glasses in an attempt to see it better. "Ash?" he called out suddenly. Ash ignored him for a moment, finishing with picking up the last piece of wood she had found, before heading back to him; dropping the supplies just inside by the door.

"What?" she asked, brushing herself off.

"So there's giant ants in the Mojave. Does that count for giant hornets too?" he asked casually, looking mildly concerned.

"Hornets?" she asked confused; she had heard him mention it sometimes in an expression but she couldn't recall exactly what it was. Instead she focused her attention to the direction of his gaze.

"Oh!" she exclaimed suddenly, grabbing his shoulder and pushing him inside the barn, closing the door behind them.

"Dammit. I was hoping we wouldn't land in their… patrol," she groaned, watching the outside through the large cracks in the wooden wall.

"What is it?" Dean asked, slightly alarmed at her reaction and miffed at being pushed around like that.

"Cazadors… now quiet."

There was an unnerving tapping sound outside now; small feet moving fast across the dirt, mixed with the occasional flutter of wings or hiss. Dean turned around a bit slowly, looking out the cracks of the wall as well, spotting a large insectoid head, its red large eyes peering right at him. It was a good thing he had learned long ago, not to jump at the sight of something like that; else he would have no doubt revealed their location.

It flew off suddenly, which _did_ startle him a bit, when there was a thump on the roof of the barn. He exchanged a look with Ash who seemed less thrilled about the noise or the following tapping of claws against wood.

None had the chance to react when part of the roof gave away, raining dust and pieces of wood on them. The cazador itself fell through as well, even if it landed well enough thanks to its wings, but it took it but a few seconds to spot the humans, hissing loudly; its wings fluttering sharply in preparation.

"Move!" Ash called out, following her own advice as the cazador snapped at her sudden movement, darting after her.

"_Where_, exactly? We're like fish in a barrel!" Dean retorted, as he looked around after something to grab since his aiming skills wouldn't be enough for this jittery creature. The cazador was almost flying in the barn by now, its eyes fixed on Ash who ran along the walls. She stopped though, pulling out her pistol to take aim. She didn't get more than one shot off before it flew right for her, bending its body so that its stinger went right through the wall; since Ash had moved out of the way and was already heading back to Dean.

She didn't want to run outside since they had no way of knowing if this cazador was a loner or if there was a whole pack of them outside; but they couldn't stay in this box with an animal like that either.

"Are you kidding me…?" Dean muttered to himself as he pulled out a crowbar from behind a few old plastic containers in the corner; it was all he could find after all. He felt Ash collide with him as well as the door, since he had been standing next to it and he turned around quickly, swinging the crowbar in the direction of the charging cazador behind them.

It shrieked at the blow, tumbling to the dirt floor on its back. Ash reacted quickly at the opportunity, as she moved forward and slammed her foot down on its nearest wing; grinding the boot properly until a crunching sound was heard. The insect hissed before wobbling back onto its feet, trying to move its damaged wing.

Ash yanked the crowbar out of Dean's hand, slamming it down over its head, not once but until it stopped moving entirely. She was actually almost out of breath when she stopped; giving it a last kick to check it actually was dead.

She straightened up, glancing back at Dean over her shoulder.

"_Sheesh_, woman," was his somewhat delayed reaction to her brutal behavior. "Are they like the ghost people; only dead with their limbs off or what?"

"Close enough," she replied as she looked around carefully, listening intently. She couldn't see or hear any more cazadors so perhaps they were lucky and this was just a scout. She held out the crowbar towards Dean suddenly, feeling the gooey, yellow blood trickle down along it and onto her hand.

"Yah, I'm not touching that," he announced coolly.

"It's either that… or this," she told him, gesturing down at the dead cazador.

"Or neither," he persisted. He winced as Ash flung the crowbar past him and back into the corner instead before grabbing hold of the actual cazador, clearly not in the mood for games.

"Can you open the door then?" she grumbled, as she dragged it along the floor; Dean quickly obliged, happy to get rid of the damned thing. Not without checking outside first and when it was clear he stepped out of her way.

Ash paused outside to double check they were actually alone before she continued the drag the corpse further off until it was way beyond the gas station; leaving an unnerved Dean by the barn.

"Is that far enough?" he asked when she came back.

"I don't know, but I'm not dragging it across the Mojave," she replied tiredly, using her feet to brush out the worst of the blood on the floor as well, before shutting the door. She fetched the crowbar again, using it to lock the door. At least that way none'd get inside without them hearing it.

Dean peered at the door as Ash grabbed the wood she had gathered earlier, bringing it to the already made campfire spot in the back. While she worked with starting up the fire, Dean went to sit between it and the wall, using the wall as a support for his back. There was an old mattress right there and while he didn't want to imagine how many or what people had been sitting on it, it was still better than the actual dirt.

Darkness was falling quickly now, leaving no light left beyond the small fire once it was steady. Ash watched it for awhile with a sigh, before sliding down next to Dean along the wall. For a moment she peered out the narrow gaps between the wooden boards behind them, until she decided things seemed calm enough to relax for a moment. Her muscles still ached a bit and her breathing wasn't entirely steady yet, making her curse her fatigue again.

"What I'd give for a day with no running or enemies breathing down my neck," she huffed afterwards, rubbing her bare arm uneasily, before reaching into her bag. She had discarded her jacket, sitting on its edge and using the rest as a blanket over her shoulders.

"That's easy, just stay in New Vegas."

"New Vegas has enemies as well. As in fact, pretty much any civilized place is hazardous given my position with Mr. House."

"Well, I suppose a lot of people are angry with you for… siding with him, was it?"

"Some. Most however assume I am worth a lot to House, just because I work for him. There's actually been quite a few… kidnapping attempts," Ash explained, handing him a bottle of water, taking another herself. "Even Bill went with that idea." She made a small face at the thought of Bill, hoping he was well behind bars by now in some dark prison somewhere. Even Dean's face grew more furrowed than usual.

"You must know what I'm talking about. I wouldn't call any place in the Sierra Madre safe," Ash smiled faintly at him, surprised at his near wince.

"It wasn't," he agreed. "Although I did feel fairly safe behind all those mines."

"Didn't do much to stop me."

"Well, compared to the ghost people and the other tourists, you were surprisingly resourceful and stubborn. I suspect that had to do with the bomb collar though… "

"Being threatened to get your head blown off tends to make one take risks…"

"You do realize you were risking all our lives, yah?" Dean asked almost drily.

"I'm a professional, Dean," Ash smiled amused, putting the bottles back in the bag when they were done. "Easy to say now granted… I was scared shitless on more than one occasion in that damned place," she admitted with a sigh. "Which explains the occasional nightmare."

"Can't say I long to be back to the Madre either."

"_That _I can understand."

She didn't need to ask why; after 200 years there anyone would get tired of it.

"I wonder what happened to the others," she continued her musings. "You all left before I came out from the casino."

"I had my reasons," Dean replied, almost defensively. "Wasn't going to risk waiting around with_… those_ people when the bowties went off. I guess they had the same idea. Not like it matters, does it? You met up with the most interesting one again," he smirked amused."Things worked out _quite_ well."

Ash shook her head slowly, if amused at his words. Meeting him again had been the last thing she had expected, to be honest.

"Well, I'm not complaining," she chuckled afterwards. They fell silent after that, as Dean started to think about what he had said and the Sierra Madre itself. He glanced over his shoulder briefly, watching what little he could of the Mojave between the wooden boards. It was easy to spot New Vegas now, with its magnificent lights in the middle of the darkness. Like it had been when he had first arrived to the city. A mix of relief and disappointment to be honest. Still, it was a lot better than the Madre.

He almost jumped when he suddenly felt something to his shoulder, turning a bit to realize Ash had literally fallen asleep on it. Clearly she was less recovered than she had acted, he figured, struggling between entertained amusement and something far more… _tender_; something he hadn't felt for two life times at least. Before he could help himself, he reached out for her face, brushing aside the hair to gently touch her cheek. He allowed himself to do that for a short moment before he withdrew his hand as if he had burned it. Instead he ended up rubbing his temple with it, groaning quietly.

They really needed to talk about this. Ash certainly wouldn't; she wasn't forward enough for such a thing considering he almost had to corner her the last time. Then the chunk of gold had gotten in the way… he snorted lightly, almost displeased at the notion of the gold actually.

He gently pushed the girl away from him; at the moment having her that close was bothersome, as he lied down on the mattress instead with his back to her, muttering something.

* * *

><p><strong>Haha, a wee bit... reminder in this one. Again, I struggle with Dean in these kind of "nice "situations. They're just so... alien, since we never see them. WELP, gotta learn it someday.<strong>


	33. Did you really mind?

_Something or someone was striking __something against__ wood in the near vicinity, Dean thought, feeling as if he wandered in complete darkness. The sound continued, eerie-like as panic started to__ seep__ into him at the lack of light. Suddenly something happened around him; a red mist started to close in on him, as the darkness was slowly replaced by familiar buildings and alleys. Hoarse, breathing sounds reached his ears, as he turned around abruptly, hearing them louder and louder. _

_Dear God, was he __**back**__…? _

A snorting sound quickly tore him from his sleep as he opened his eyes only to stare up at a hideous face; wrinkly with whiskers dipping onto his face and a small bit of slime hanging from its nose.

"_AGH_! Get away!" he screamed abruptly, throwing his hands up, as the startled molerat shrieked and ran off as fast as it could. Dean sat up, scoffing loudly before running a hand over his face, realizing that the snorting sound had been the molerat _sneezing _on him.

"For the love of…!" he complained as he looked around for something to dry his hand on, quickly finding the back of Ash's discarded coat next to him. Ash herself was nowhere to be seen and he frowned quickly at that when he heard the odd striking noise again.

In his awake state, he recognized it as a muffled gunshot though, causing him to quickly get on his feet, rushing towards the open barn door and looking around.

It came again; he directed his gaze towards the roof of the nearby gas station where Ash was lying, aiming her sniper rifle at something in the distance.

The ghoul snorted annoyed, correcting his collar in an irked manner before walking over to the building.

"Good morning," Ash greeted him as she heard the footsteps, looking briefly towards him before looking down the scope of her rifle again.

"Nothing good about it," Dean replied sourly, pulling out a cigarette from his chest pocket. "I can imagine prettier faces to wake up next to than the one I did… cleaner too."

Ash slowly took her eye off the scope to look at him inquiringly, wondering what the heck he was on about.

"Would you mind waking me up the next time you take off like that? Or at the very least keep an eye on me so that no bloody _rats _gets the chance to ponder whether I'm edible or not!"

"Oh… sorry about that. I kinda thought getting rid of that cazador pack over there was more important than guarding your face from… mostly peaceful molerats."

"I… what cazador pack?" Dean asked, looking around as if concerned they'd pop up all around him. He quickly realized to look towards where Ash was aiming the rifle, frowning at the clearly visible yellow dots further off.

"Err… is shooting them so wise?" he asked, suddenly feeling very unsafe in this open spot he was standing in.

"They're too far away to be able to tell where the shots are coming from… but they're too close to the road for me to want to pass them in the open. This seemed like a better idea."

She looked back down into the scope, firing another shot, slowly followed by another.

"Not really up to taking another on in melee," she muttered under her breath; Dean could barely hear her and he wasn't about to climb up the boxes nearby to reach her.

"How about you stop aggravating the oversized hornets and come down here so we can move on? Who says we need to take the road back to New Vegas?" he suggested, inhaling sharply.

"I do," Ash replied, but she paused for a few moments before pulling up the rifle and jumping back down to the ground, tipping the weapon to her shoulder. "I got the gun after all."

"Terrific comeback, dearest Ash…" His sarcasm was clear and she rolled her eyes as she passed him by, heading back to the barn.

"Molerat chewing your face off, you said?" she asked, as she picked up her things inside there.

"Close enough. I'd like to keep what I got left of it, you see."

"You know, you sound extremely snarky this morning," she noted as she came back out, giving him a serious look now, concern in her face.

"What part of '_molerat nearly chewing my face off'_ don't you understand? I think I'm entitled to being _snarky_."

"Alright, alright. Let's get going then."

Ash didn't holster the rifle as she took the way around the part, continuing on their path to New Vegas. The buildings were clearer now, as well as the Lucky 38's tower, but it was always visible in the Mojave. She made sure they kept a good distance from the cazador pack; not that there were many of them left, but still enough to cause problems.

Her concern was unwarranted though as they didn't detect them, allowing for a smooth walk back to the city area, at most bothered by the occasional molerat. It was late afternoon once they stepped inside the centre of New Vegas, both pausing outside Gomorrah. Ash felt tired still, but not as bad as before. The nice beds in the Lucky 38 were still very tempting right now though, since she needed a night of undisturbed and safe sleep.

She noted something she hadn't before though; a poster plastered on the wall to the building and several others by the looks of it.

"What's that?" she asked, mostly herself, as she approached the poster. The text on it was hand written as expected.

"You haven't seen that before?" Dean asked almost nonchalantly. "A little… party they're throwing. They say some important folk will show up. I didn't pay much attention; I just know I'll be part of the entertainment."

"Important folk? Rich ones?"

"No doubt. Why?"

"I wonder…" Ash trailed off, looking towards the poster again. "Do you think Angryl would be that clever?" she asked him amused afterwards, causing Dean to look back at the poster, before he seemed to get her point, arching his eyebrows.

"I hate to give it to him, but it would seem like a good plan to steal something and sell it during this, yes… most of the guests won't know, let alone care where the things came from."

"Exactly… well, I suppose I need to wait for him here and face him with it," Ash shrugged. "Not until tomorrow at least." Dean looked at her before sighing. He'd rather not get involved further but the thought of her and Angryl alone anywhere was almost mind numbingly _bothersome_.

"You'll scare him off…" he smirked amused afterwards, knowing very well that Angryl would jump at the chance; stolen item or not. "I'll… help you get that precious little machine back," he sighed as well, making it sound like a bother. "If only because I enjoy playing games in these kinds of establishments."

Ash arched an eyebrow at him, rather surprised at his continued interest.

"It has to be something more than that…" she asked, almost suspiciously.

"I just don't like leaving things… unfinished, as you might know," he shrugged. "At least this time I _can _finish it. Just… come to the Tops tomorrow, shortly before the actual party starts. I'll handle this."

"But I…"

"Do you want my help or not?"

"Of course, but…"

"Then it's settled. I will see you tomorrow then," Dean nodded once, before turning about to head back to the Tops on his own. Ash looked after him, wondering what the heck had just transpired. She actually stood there for some time, watching the poster, before shaking her head and heading into the Lucky 38 for some well needed rest.

* * *

><p>The next day, Ash was surprised that Mr. House hadn't called her to see how the mission had gone. Perhaps he was already aware and seeing how well she'd perform under different circumstances. Either way, she snuck away quietly to the Tops, barely announcing her presence to Victor.<p>

The Tops was in somewhat of an uproar, she noticed as she turned in the single pistol she was carrying to one of the men waiting in the reception. People were already gathering both outside and inside. Dean was nowhere to be seen so she made her way to his private room.

At least this time there was no awkward conversation in the door between them as he quickly let her inside after her knock. Just like her, he had freshened up, dressed in a new costume. New and new though, he never really left his original style.

"At least you're punctual," he noted drily, as she rolled her eyes, shutting the door behind her. "My plan for Angryl's complete as well… we just lack the fellow himself."

"I have to admit, I'm curious about all of this. Even if Angryl wasn't the main focus, and he might not even be, I'd still go," Ash admitted, nodding her confirmation about his plan.

"Do I need to know?" she asked though. "You did tell me you'd handle it."

"And I will. But, eh… I certainly hope you weren't planning on going like that though."

"What?"

"Your… outfit." Dean made a gesture towards her, inhaling sharply in near displeasure. "In ordinary clothes. Please, Ash, this is a somewhat serious thing. As serious as it can get in this fallen apart world."

Ash looked down at her clothes that were as ordinary as they could get really. She looked up again, giving Dean a small frown."Meaning…?"

"Luckily for you, I've already made preparations… I refuse to have one of my, uh, guests dressing like a desert hermit."

He gestured towards something green hanging from a rack in the room; which instantly made Ash narrow her eyes as she walked over to it, giving it a light touch.

"I'd suggest you explain very fast before I assume the worst," she said icily, as she looked back at him; her fingers still in the soft cloth. Dean folded his arms across his chest. He had seen her protest coming miles away, actually amused at it. Making her uncomfortable was starting to develop to a little guilty pleasure of his.

"One, you'll stand out _less _in a dress. Two, don't you _love _anything pre-war? Dressed like that, at a party? he explained. "Three, it's just a dress, my dear. Not an oversized hornet, not even a deathclaw."

"It's… impractical," Ash grimaced as she held out more of the cloth. It was nice to the touch actually and the green color was… surprisingly close to the green in her eyes.

"And this is a party; not a battlefield. Well, not _that_ kind of battlefield at least," Dean amended the last part. He watched her ponder it, touching the cloth with some kind of reluctant interest.

"Also, if it catches Angryl…?" he suggested almost airily.

"_Ugh… fine_. No word of this to Raul though… or Cass," she almost hissed at Dean, who lifted his palms quickly.

"I've no idea who those are," he winked amused.

"And one comment about it from you and you'll need a bloody _radioactive crater_ to recover in." Dean's face became a lot less amused at that one.

"Even a good comment?"

"I doubt that will happen."

"I picked it out for you, among the old stage clothes… I know it'll look good. Don't insult me."

Ash pulled the dress out completely, holding it high up as she looked it over. She didn't really know anything about dresses but she did figure it as an ordinary dress from before the war… bellshaped, with some elegant straps around the waist. The green color varied; being dark at the bottom and becoming lighter the further up it went. Not too revealing; just over the shoulders really, thankfully. She didn't like the idea that much; she was feeling vulnerable without her weapons as it was… changing her clothes too was pushing it.

"Well, I'm not changing with you staring at me!" she snapped at him suddenly, as he had to choke a chuckle at that.

"I wasn't planning on staring at you; what do you take me for," he said afterwards, sounding scandalized. "Just come out when you're ready…" he added, as he left the room. Ash glared after him, before she scoffed and turned her attention back to the dress, as if it had done some personal harm to her. "Better get it over with…" she grumbled after awhile.

It was surprisingly easy to get on; as she folded her old clothes neatly in a pile, at least that way she wouldn't focus on the dress. But when that was done, she had no choice but to, taking a quick glance over at the nearest mirror.

_Could have been worse_… she thought to herself before her hand traveled up to the necklace around her neck; toying with the dogs tags from it. She shook her head afterwards, refusing to go to such foolish sentimental thoughts, before walking to the door.

Dean waited outside as promised, hands behind his back and he gave her a long look as she paused, folding her arms across her chest… daring him to voice it.

"Heh… " he ended up saying instead before realizing how off putting that might sound; and Ash was already narrowing her eyes. He just hadn't expected it the dress to fit her that well; revealing skin that normally wasn't revealed; something he was hard pressed not to mention out loud.

"It definitely works. Like I said it would," he corrected himself quickly. Ash rolled her eyes before he offered her his arm and heading inside the main building; the first floor for now it seemed.

"That's… a lot of people," Ash noted, almost nervously, as she saw them, spotting some more or less familiar; leaders from around New Vegas. She was pretty sure she even spotted the King somewhere.

"Eh, not that many. But not bad, I suppose," Dean shrugged. Ash ignored him, finding herself rather amused and intrigued at the whole prospect now that the dress had been… well, forgiven at least, not forgotten.

"You know, you will kind of stand out," Ash pointed out to Dean as they looked over the place. "There's pretty much only… _smoothskins_ here," she added.

"That's why I took the liberty of… inviting some ghouls in my name," Dean smirked amused. "There's actually a few known ones in New Vegas, and that little group we met; although not famous, are now a welcome distraction."

"Oh," was all Ash could say; she hadn't expected that to be honest.

"Please, I know what I'm doing. This is my element… lack of skin or not," he scoffed amusedly. "Granted, I'll still stand out a bit being… a star," he chuckled.

"Are you sure it isn't because of this?" she asked amused, tugging a little at their locked arms.

"I'm just being a gentleman."

"Sure. Because a smoothskin and a ghoul walking like a couple sure won't stand out."

"Even if that is the case, we want Angryl to find us, yah?"

"Preferably without starting up rumors."

"Who cares? Rumors come and go."

They paused on the main floor; both looking around in order to find Angryl somewhere. Ash had trouble focusing though, chuckling all of the suddenly, as she placed her hand over her other arm.

"Heh… this feels almost like an old movie I've seen," she smirked amused afterwards. Dean snorted, brushing off some imagined dust from his chest.

"Pfft, movie. You're at a party as my personal guest and you're thinking of some old movie?" he sighed.

"I _love_ that movie."

"You wound me, Ash…" She cleared her throat, before looking around quickly, continuing with trying to find Angryl.

"How are we supposed to… lure him in?" she frowned. "He's probably well aware that we know about the theft by now; he'll avoid us."

"How about you don't worry your little head over that, hm? Leave it to the expert. I've played these games since before your grandparents were born. I know exactly how to get the attention of… people like him."

"People like him?"

"… Competition, I suppose. It's easy; all we have to do is play on his feelings… but I'm not sure you will approve of it."

"Hey, if it gets him into our… uh, your trap, I'm happy," she shrugged, though she narrowed her eyes a bit at the twinkle in Dean's eyes and his slow smirk. "I take that back," she added quickly.

"We just have to make him jealous."

"…What?_"_

"That easy. Jealous _and_ angry. He'll come running after like a love struck kid." He paused, before inclining slightly with his head towards where he had spotted Angryl. Despite it all, the man had attempted to dress up in clothes that didn't scream a wanderer at least; but Dean was good at spotting people when he needed them. Ash followed his gaze but frowned nevertheless as she spoke up again.

"I know he has… feelings for me… but there's no way I'll go flirt with some random guy in here just to…"

Out of nowhere Dean leaned in to kiss her; interrupting her sentence as well as thought pattern there for a moment. When he pulled back; quickly actually because he'd rather she didn't slap him since that would probably backfire badly on his plan, she narrowed her eyes at him.

"Who said you'd need to flirt with some random sap around here," he smirked quickly, taking her surprise as a chance to defend his action. By now he was fairly sure he was well out from the risk of a slap and he would be receiving a straight out punch instead.

"You…" Ash almost hissed, still taken aback as Dean looked back towards Angryl. Even from that distance he could see the other man seething and he quickly turned back to Ash.

"It worked. You can thank me later," he winked, turning her around carefully so they could walk away, goading Angryl to follow, hopefully.

"I can't believe you did that!" Ash scoffed, walking along only because his hand was on her shoulder. She found herself annoyed both at his impulsive action but also that she had been so taken aback that she had hardly gotten the time to think about what had just happened.

"Come on… did you really mind it?"

"That… is beside the point, Dean."

"Oh, you did! Well, of course you did."

"He's actually following us…" she noted in some surprise as she glanced over her shoulder casually. Dean was not as surprised himself; however he wished Angryl hadn't because he was hard pressed not to not just stop and kiss Ash again; the risk of getting punched seemed worth it at the moment.

"Naturally," he muttered, opening the door for her into a small room, leaving it half open for Angryl to easily find. Back at this side of the Tops there was a lot less people; less curious faces to enter. "Now… I need you leave me alone with him," he continued, as she arched an eyebrow.

"I know the Tops take care of all weapons, but he could still have a hidden one you know," Ash reminded Dean as he double checked his pocket; giving her a calm look.

"I rather much doubt that. I made sure to tell the men responsible to check after those too… and unless Angryl is smart enough to hide such a weapon in a really clever place; which I doubt, he's harmless."

"If you say so," Ash shrugged a bit uneasily. She didn't feel comfortable leaving Dean alone with Angryl, even for a few moments but it was clear that was part of his plan.

"I do. Now scoot," he said, shooing her off with one of his hands as he sat down on one of the chairs. She rolled her eyes, but complied, only because it was required; as she went for the backdoor of the room. She paused just outside it, leaving it open just enough for her to hear what was going on. The Tops choice of design was thankful right now; with many rooms having backdoors, no doubt for shady deals and easy access. Even if some people passing by gave her a look for standing against a door the way she was.

As expected Angryl entered the room slowly, after a few moments, giving it a wary look before stepping inside fully.

"Angryl… what a surprise," Dean smirked at the man's appearance, pretending to be a bit surprised in fact; but also smug. It was all part of the act really, even if the smugness was genuine.

"Here I was hoping I wouldn't have to see you again," he continued, as Angryl quickly approached him, looking angry enough to hit him actually.

"You skinless son of a bitch," he spat instead. "What gives you the right to parade around with the girl; forcin' yourself on her like that!"

"_Forcing_? That was hardly the case," Dean scoffed actually annoyed at _that_ accusation.

"Yeah, right. Where is she? Did you scare her off?"

"She wanted to fetch some refreshments, that's all… now about we act as adults and just… talk about this?"

"Why the hell should I? I could just beat you to death right where you sit."

"And I would just need to call out for help and you'd have a whole lot of security over you. I'm quite valuable to the Tops, you see." Angryl visibly gritted his teeth.

"So… take a seat," Dean continued slyly, gesturing for the nearest chair. "Unless you're incapable of acting like a grown man?"

Angryl fisted his hands, but he wasn't going to be out-classed by a ghoul of all people; as he walked forward and sat down on the chair, somewhat tense. He became even tenser when he heard a click from it, as well as felt something shift in the cushion.

Dean leaned forward a bit where he sat, turning his palm upwards to reveal the small detonator there, before shifting his grip, resting his thumb over the trigger.

"I wouldn't move if I were you, _partner_," he sneered slowly.

* * *

><p><strong>So that happened! Angryl's si and so; not sure where I'm going with his character but being beaten by a ghoul as a ghoul bigot must be oh so very infuriating.<br>**

**I got some random snippets of Ash's life going on over at tumblr, ask-ash-courier to be precise, if anyone's interested.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	34. Live a little

Angryl looked the chair over; feeling panic and anger welling up inside him, before he focused his upset gaze at Dean, his hands clutching the chair's arms.

"You're bluffing," he said, sounding cool but the sweat drops on his forehead betrayed him.

"Certainly not," Dean replied calmly, leaning back in his chair, smug as a cat. "And don't think I'll hesitate; the blast radius is just enough to take the chair with you; certainly not me."

He looked over his shoulder, calling out for Ash, who was quick to enter, walking over to Dean's side casually. She arched an eyebrow at the way Angryl was sitting, as if on needles.

"… That's your plan? A… bomb in the chair…?" she asked Dean slowly, very slowly.

"Sound familiar?" Dean grinned.

"All too well; honestly Dean, stop putting _bombs_ in the _chairs_!"

"And why on earth would I do that, when people keep falling for it? Really, whose side are you on, Ash?"

"Will you two shut up?!" Angryl said loudly, frowning at the both of them. "Why… am I in this chair? With a bomb!"

"For starters, _you _sat down in that chair," Dean offered unhelpfully, receiving another glare from Angryl.

"Angryl, we're… pretty sure you stole something from the mutants. We're here to get it back," Ash frowned.

"I did not. And even if I did, blowin' me up won't help you."

Ash folded her arms across her chest, glaring at the man. To believe she had once considered him a possibly ally… now he was just another moron; no more likeable than a raider. The fact he hated ghouls and treated them like a disease didn't earn him any favors. But this was more than that… he hadn't gone after them this time. It was personal.

"You know what happened to the last man that stole something I was supposed to deliver?" she asked coldly. "Despite shooting me in the head, I tracked that bastard across the Mojave, turned his friend against him, took _his_ job and shot him. _In the head_. And he didn't live."

Angryl's eyes flickered between Ash and Dean; the latter just looked all around amused at what was going on. Finally his comparing Angryl to Benny had worked… well, he assumed as much. And he rarely saw Ash _threatening_ someone, it was intriguing.

"So, please just… give us what you stole," Ash continued. "I've no wish to let Dean blow you up and I'm pretty sure you don't want to put another death on my conscience," she added with a snort. _That_ was a bluff, but at this point hopefully Angryl wouldn't notice it.

"Fine… dammit, lass," he groaned, reaching into his pocket to fish up a key from it. "Just… promise me you won't kill me afterwards," he continued, clutching it in his hand.

"I promise," Ash said calmly enough, before catching the key mid-air as he threw it; she recognized it as a hotel room key from the Tops itself. "And you know I keep those. Now, Dean, I trust I can leave without you making me break my promise?" she turned to the ghoul who smirked ever so slightly.

"But of course," he said. The young man rolled his eyes, giving Dean another glare. Dean's response was to start casually rolling the detonator around in his hand.

"You _can't _trust him," Angryl said quickly, reaching out with his hand. "Don't leave me alone with that… _thing_."

"I trust him more than I trust you."

"Listen to yourself, lass! The ghoul's twistin' your mind around!" Ash's expression grew angrier for a bit there; Angryl's nerve was testing her patience.

"No," she replied. "But it's all _you_ have ever tried to do."

With that she left the room, trusting that Dean would handle the situation on his own. Dean looked quite comfortable in his chair, studying the detonator casually.

"You know, you really should stop trying to get on her good side. It seems to have the opposite effect," he pointed out, clearly amused. Angryl was looking after Ash, somewhat taken back at her words, before paying attention to Dean again.

"I don't know what you did to get her to agree so well with you and your kind… but it won't last," he said darkly, leaning back in the chair. "Sooner or later, probably when she starts to get rotten spots on her skin, she'll see what I've meant the whole time."

Dean actually laughed, a pitiful laughter, but he was also actually _amused_ at Angryl's ignorance. Perhaps the kid had the skills and raw strength to survive in the wastes, but in here, he was sadly stupid as a _rat_. Hardly worth Dean's time or effort, not even Ash's.

"Can't even argue against that, can you?" Angryl frowned at him.

"How about you use your excuse for a brain and try not to talk with me any further, I grow bored with you."

"Not really my problem, rotface."

"Don't tempt me to just kill you where you sit; heavens know I should be doing that already!"

"You wouldn't make Ash go back on her word. Not if you're so damn keen on getting' on her good side."

"That's what you think?" Dean snorted with a smile, before speaking again in a condescending tone. "Think again, tourist. Ash is not here. She'd believe any story I'd tell her. How you started to throw a tantrum and I had no _choice_ but to activate the bomb, to save myself. Because honestly, whose death would she be the most upset over, you think?"

"Does she know what a miserable bastard you are?"

"Don't be ridiculous, of course she knows. You're hardly the first moron I've encountered. Won't be the last either."

"I doubt she really knows…"

"Cheeky little bastard, aren't you?" Dean rolled his eyes before sitting back in the chair, pulling out a cigarette. "Perhaps you didn't get the hint. I'm only a bastard to people I don't like_. And I don't like you._ That's a bad position to be in, because I got the caps to make your life a living hell and the protection to do it undisturbed."

Angryl opened his mouth to say something before deciding against it, folding his arms across his chest instead, his shoulders rigid. Dean tapped the cigarette against his chair's arm, rather thankful for the lack of a reply; he couldn't handle more of his stupidity really.

A few awkward but at least silent minutes passed with both men occasionally glaring at each other, until Ash appeared at one of the doors again. She was holding a familiar package under one of her arms, using her free hand to toss Angryl's keys back on the floor between them.

"Dean, we're done," she told the ghoul.

"Finally," he sighed, before standing up and walking over to the door. He paused in the doorway, turning back to Angryl who was starting to look really uncomfortable now, both hands plastered at the chair's arms again.

"I enjoyed our chat. Alas…" he started, as a sly grin spread across the ghoul's face before he pressed down on the trigger. Angryl's eyes went wide open, as he threw himself off the chair and down to the floor.

Ash looked over Dean's shoulder briefly, arching an eyebrow at Angryl suddenly lying on the floor, arms over his head and the chair still intact behind him.

"Did you _fake _the whole thing?" she asked him, close to shocked.

"Yah," Dean said calmly, as Angryl looked up at them from under his arms, his expression quickly going from surprise to anger as he started to stand up.

"Time to close the curtain," Dean continued with a chuckle, shutting the door and locking it quickly, using a key from his pocket. He barely flinched at the sudden banging at the door, as he gently led Ash away from it, ignoring her shocked face.

"I can't believe you faked it!" she repeated, looking back behind them where Angryl was still banging at the door, clearly too angry to recall the second door.

"Seriously, you're not exactly making friends when you do these things," she frowned, turning back to Dean who looked quite smug.

"You think that's my intent?" he asked her afterwards, pausing near one of the chairmen looking over the guests.

"Excuse me. There's a gentleman in room D1 that could need some air," he explained in his 'people' tone. "Had too much drink and all that, you know how it goes."

"Right, Mr. Domino. I'll look into that," the man nodded, before walking off. Ash gave Dean a not too impressed look, causing him to roll his eyes.

"_What_?" he asked.

"As if that will solve it in the long run," she said, shaking her head. She had to smirk afterwards. Dean's bravado wasn't new, but it was always amusing. He really knew how to make the 'lesser people' run for their money.

"He wouldn't dare doing anything… even if he does, he'll regret it very fast."

"I hope so, for your sake. Anyway, we need to head back to your room. I'm not carrying on this thing for the rest of the evening," she said pointedly, gesturing for the wrapped up package she now had under her arm. Dean nodded once, before they made their way to the Theater and the back stage there. Once there, he let her inside his room, watching her place the package on his desk. He made sure to lock the room tightly and tip one of the nearby chairmen acting as guard over the area, to stop Angryl from lock picking his way into Dean's room, in case he hadn't been thrown out of the building yet.

"Now that business is taken care of, maybe we can go see if this party holds up to any of the old standards?" Dean suggested, offering Ash his arm again.

"Anything resembling a, uh, party must be nice for you, no?" Ash asked as she accepted his gesture and they wandered back out to the main room.

"True, I suppose… but what about you? This must be a first? Unless you keep secret parties over at the Lucky 38…"

Ash chortled. "That'd be something! But no, not yet."

"Have you tried?" Dean asked surprised, almost peering at her.

"I have suggested opening up the casino for some people but Mr. House is pretty adamant to keep it closed. To preserve the old… air, I guess." Ash shrugged amused, feeling a lot more relaxed now that Henry's item was safe again. Perhaps now she could actually enjoy the party itself.

"I can't really blame him to be honest. I mean, why let savages put their dirty fingers on everything, right?" Ash elbowed him mildly, causing him to chuckle. "The fact you react like that means that you do consider yourself a savage…" he pointed out. "But the big boss man can't be all that against it. I mean, you're dragging people back and forth in there."

"Because the suite is considered my own place. Perhaps he thinks I'd be a poor host if I could never invite someone up there. Big difference between that and throwing a bloody _party _with strangers anyhow."

They sat down by one of the available tables at the sides of the main room, Dean quickly ordering two glasses of wine from a nearby waiter. A luxury the Tops didn't have usually, but it was one of the many things that actually made it feel like the bombs had never happened right now. Like this was just one of the many parties he had attended to before the war. People were dancing in old pre-war clothes that they had found or created themselves, gambled and chatted away; as if the world outside didn't exist.

Ash nodded her thanks when the waiter arrived with their glasses, since Dean seemed to be in his own little world. She sniffed the wine casually, before taking a sip. Alcohol wasn't really her thing; she reacted quite badly with it but… it was a party after all. She'd never tire of that word really…

"Dean? Where are you?" she asked the ghoul bemusedly, as he blinked before shifting his gaze to her and then the wine glasses.

"Right here," he replied, as if the very question was ridiculous.

"Looked pretty zoned out to me."

"Hmph. Nostalgia isn't my… thing."

"So that's what it was." Ash smiled further before looking at the people in the room, just like Dean had earlier. The ghoul snorted a second time, drinking from his glass. He was getting careless, yapping words he shouldn't for nothing.

"Oh, _Deeean_!"

The ghoul flinched at the hoarse voices who called his name in unison before the female ghouls they had helped before reached their table, waving. Ash had to put her fist over her mouth to keep from laughing out loud at Dean's face which contained shocked horror for a moment. When he had been speaking about nostalgia, he hadn't expected to be _that_ reminded of it.

"We're so glad we found you," one of them smiled lovingly. "We just wanted to thank you for personally inviting us to this little party."

"You're quite welcome, my ladies," Dean said, tilting his head ever so slightly. "Was it only you who arrived?"

"Oh no, we're all here. Even Blake's around here somewhere; although he was more skeptical to it. Poor thing needs to loosen up a little."

"Wait, wait. Don't tell me Blake's somewhere here, dressed all fancy like?" Ash had to interrupt, lifting her hands with a smile tugging at the corner of her lips.

"Why, yes," one of the ghouls beamed. "Dress code, my dear, me and Ruby here simply refused to allow that… wastelander gear of his in here." Ash couldn't hold back the smile now before paying more attention to the people at the party, hoping to catch Blake. Although she had a feeling that doing so would result in some painful side effect.

"Say, Dean, are you going to be performing today?" the ghouls focused their attention back to him.

"Yes, I am," he confirmed. "In about 30 minutes I believe, up at the theater. I'd recommend going up there early, get good seats up front. The sound is pathetic at the back."

"I see. We'll keep that in mind. Oh, this is so exciting! We'll be there in the front, waving at you!" They turned to leave again, one of them waving shyly and Dean watched them until they disappeared among the crowd. When they had, he quickly turned to his wine glass, groaning.

"Should have seen that coming when I invited them," he admitted, as Ash chuckled.

"Must be nice to have all these people fawning over you?" she asked, a bit surprised at his response which was nothing but an annoying sniff.

"It's… nice. Sometimes. It's the clingy ones I have issues with…" he said. "The ones approaching stalker level. I noticed your interest in that… Blake character though," he arched an eyebrow.

"Oh please. I want to poke a bit of fun at him for being here in fancy clothes. It's about as disturbing as the fact that _I'm_ wearing fancy clothes." Dean leaned back in the chair, while looking her over.

"_Live_ a little, Ash. You're a woman; you're supposed to dress up every once in awhile. Are you going to tell me you aren't enjoying yourself?"

"Well…considering our success today, I am," she admitted. "I got the package back, Angryl got hilariously, if a bit overdone so, terrified and I got kissed by the star attraction tonight."

She slowly looked at him, as if judging his reaction, but he just calmly looked back. Dealing with Angryl had been more pressing than thinking about the kiss, which was _just _a kiss. It was _ridiculous_ of her to ponder it again.

"You should be flattered," Dean shrugged, a near mischievous smirk in the corner of his lips. "Perhaps brag about it, even. Or perhaps not, considering few today look past the… skin." He got up suddenly, walking over to her.

"Come. I need to get ready for the show," he announced. "And I'm pretty sure you need to go and find yourself a good seat," he added with a wink.

"Perhaps I'll see Blake there," she teased, causing him to flinch before frowning at her even as they walked up to the theater. Some had already gathered outside the doors, mostly to chat though.

"For your sake, I hope not," Dean muttered, as he held open the door for her into the Aces; he couldn't help it, his old gentleman manners just popped up around women, despite 200-ish years in between.

"For _your_ sake, I hope not. He'd probably make you lose your focus." Ash leant over, kissing Dean's cheek, before giving his shoulder a pat. Shit, why the hell did she go and do that for; Dean's look in her direction was more than a little surprised, before he cleared his throat and shooed her off with his fingers.

Ash was more than happy to wander off to one of the secluded seats in the back; sound didn't bother her much, but being too much in focus did. And she… didn't want to risk Dean doing something stupid, like dragging her up on the stage. Not likely, but she had become… paranoid of stages. At least back here she could facepalm in peace.

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><p><strong>So, eh, it seems I need a new plot, to continue another plot. xD<strong>

**I also want to thank the guest reviews I get. I try to reply to every I get but I am unable to reply to guest ones; so thank you for reading and reviewing!**


	35. Old ghouls

**This poor chapter had to go through several pre readers; since I'm on new ground with several characters plus dragged in a new one for the fun of it. **

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><p>It felt like the sigh that Ash heaved could be heard across the whole bloody room and she actually looked around afterwards, before sinking deeper into the chair. The dress was getting on her nerves; it only got in the way everywhere and made her feel silly frankly. Being interested in pre-war things clearly didn't mean that she enjoyed dressing up like they did back then. Impractical and annoying… not to say <em>colorful<em>. There was not enough green in the Mojave for her to blend in anywhere with this dress; except around vault 22 and god forbid she'd go there again.

A waiter came by, offering her something to drink but she turned it down, as music started to play from the stage. Dean stepped out on the stage and one would need only to look once to realize it was where he belonged. Nothing new there really, she had seen him on the stage before, but that didn't mean she didn't enjoy listening to him. If the old singer still had his voice, why not use it after all? No doubt he considered himself lucky that he still had his old voice at all; despite being a ghoul and having smoked since the bloody war.

She spotted the female ghouls somewhere in the front, moving to the beat in their seats and she was pretty sure she saw the two male ones behind them too. For them it had to be a nice break from the cruel harshness of the new world; to be reminded of old times. How strange it had to be; to them this image was more than just an image, it was most likely an actual memory. Ash shook her head slightly; she kind of envied them to be honest.

Blake was nowhere to be seen though; perhaps he just didn't like music, Ash figured. It was for the best anyway, she had an amusing feeling that if she did end up talking to Blake while Dean was singing she'd never hear the end of it afterwards. Or possibly cause another… hissy fit from his side.

She went back to just enjoying the show, but a few songs later and she started to check the area again, a habit really; she caught someone staring at her. Normally she wouldn't care, as working for Mr. House tended to get people's attention but this one… something about them made her wary.

The ghoul was sitting by the bar, a wine glass resting between his fingers on the counter while he outright stared at her coldly. It was the cold, calculated gaze that made her question his intentions, something she normally didn't do that fast. For being a ghoul, he looked remarkably normal; still sporting hair and a mustache, as well as glasses and a bright, striped suit. Pre-war, no doubt, she figured, as she focused her attention back to the stage, but that proved easier said than done. Whenever she threw a casual glance over her shoulder, the ghoul was looking at her, making her quickly go from unnerved to _annoyed_.

In the end, she had had enough, as she got up and walked over to the bar, sitting down in one of the empty stools near the ghoul.

"What do you want?" she asked calmly, peering at him, trying to read his intentions. For all she knew, he just _was_ curious after all, not everyone was discrete about it.

"I'm still trying to figure that one out myself," the ghoul replied with a sneer. "Not often I need to find little birds to ask questions. I doubt you're even worth the fucking time, let alone the energy it takes to communicate shit with you on your level."

Ash opened her mouth to speak, but frankly she was so taken back by his condescending tone and words that she shut it again opting to glaring her disapproval instead. The ghoul was definitely from the same country that Dean was; she had heard _that _much at least and that meant he was pre-war.

"I don't respond well to insults," she said drily, despite realizing how old the ghoul had to be. She took Dean's remarks about her being a savage or _'too dumb to understand pre-war things_¨ with a tolerable chuckle, but strangers earned little on it.

"Hurt your feelings, did I…?" he asked, not changing his tone, his fingers slowly swirling along the wine glass' edge. "I expected a bit more from the infamous _courier_ than empty threats…"

He glanced towards the stage, as if to check if any attention had been brought onto them before looking back at Ash.

"Now listen the fuck up," he said sharply. "I need to know some things and you'll answer them. Fast and properly, understand? Any lies and I will come find you and fucking kill you."

"Who the hell do you think you are?" Ash almost growled, her otherwise saint like patience flying out the window at the stranger's complete lack of manners and outright _threatening_ her. The ghoul responded in kind with a similar sound, before suddenly paying attention to his drink, finishing it.

"So you got some bloody spunk. That's more like what I expected," he said. "Still dumb as a doornail though. Who the hell am I? Name's Desmond Lockheart. And I'm the meanest fucking bastard you'll ever come across, so stop yapping. Now, are you the courier who works for Mr. House?"

Ash glared at him the whole time, though experience told her to be careful nevertheless. "Yes, I am."

"Good. I had my suspicions but I wanted it confirmed first; it's very easy to get a hold of information about you. Not fucking smart enough to be discrete, are we?"

"Again… what do you want?"

"I want to come in contact with your boss… I need to speak to him."

"Mr. House doesn't talk in person with everyone. For that matter, I am surprised you didn't just go to the right building. If you found me, then you know where he stays. You seem like the type of person that'd just barge in everywhere."

The ghoul gave her an unimpressed look. "Don't act like you fucking know me," he sneered. "I have no quarrel with Mr. House, nor will I. You however are another matter entirely."

He leant in closer, staring her in the eyes. "Now, I will only say this once. I'll come to the Lucky 38 tomorrow afternoon. And I expect you will have prepared Mr. House for my arrival."

With that he stood up and walked away from the bar, leaving Ash more or less seething behind him. Out of all the annoyingpeople she had met, this one took the prize. She was actually so shocked she couldn't focus on anything else for a good few minutes.

"Miss, are you alright?" one of the bartenders asked her suddenly, as she jumped and nodded quickly. "Yes, I'm fine," she waved it off before going to sit down at her table again, glaring towards the exit of the theater. The anger quickly dissipated though as curiosity and caution took over. It wasn't her job to question people who wanted contact with Mr. House, nor guarding him from potential enemies. That's what Victor and his securitrons was for. She was just the agent… the one who did what Mr. House had _told_ her to do.

Still, she felt very off about this ghoul, shuddering as if trying to get rid of something on her back. She pretty much sat with that disturbing feeling and her thoughts until the music died down and Dean left the stage under loud applause and she quickly woke up, applauding as well.

She was back in deep thought when Dean found her next, having waited for most to clear the room since he suspected he wouldn't get a moment's piece if he walked down among all those people. Just reaching Ash took a few extra minutes because of eager 'fans' stopping to flatter him, which to be fair, he didn't mind at all.

"Not exactly the reaction I was hoping for," he said slowly as he caught up with the girl and she blinked a little realizing he was there first as he stood next to her.

"I'm sorry," she shook her head slowly. "Bit distracted."

"I'll say. Did you have a lovely chat with that ghoul?" he asked, his voice almost strained in vexation, as he folded his arms across his chest.

"Right, him…" Ash scoffed, throwing another glance to the exit. "No, I did not. Don't think I've met a ruder bastard than him before. And that says a lot," she grimaced in disbelief. Dean seemed to visibly relax, before sitting down at the table too.

"Perhaps you've heard of him? He's English after all," Ash continued, almost hopeful.

"What, you're assuming every Englishman knows each other? England wasn't that small of a country, you know, just because it's smaller than _America_," Dean scoffed, almost affronted, until he realized that Ash probably didn't even know the size of the world's… former countries.

"Did you get his name? Or just his nationality?" he asked drily.

"Desmond Lockheart."

Dean tilted his head a little, looking thoughtful. "No, doesn't ring a bell," he admitted. "Definitely not a performer of any kind and that's pretty much the only names I bothered to learn. Keeping an eye on competition and all. The rest could rot for all I cared… literally or not."

"Well, he wants a word with Mr. House. Quite frankly, he demanded it and pretty much said he'd kill me if not. Also, if you think I have foul language, I think your ears would bleed after hearing him."

Dean snorted loudly. "Yah, right," he rolled his eyes. "To me he sounds just like another… foul mouthed coward who pounds their non existing bravado."

"I don't know, Dean. This guy actually seems… legit in his threats. But it's just a… hunch," Ash shook her head almost nervously. "And I've long learned to trust my hunches." Dean merely lifted his head a little, an eyebrow arched. She had a point there, he figured. Even _he'd_ trust Ash's hunches. Well, most of the time.

"What time was his… demand at?" he asked her.

"Tomorrow afternoon."

"Plenty of time then. And we still got an evening ahead of us, so how about you forget him for the moment? It's not like your boss or his robots ever sleep, do they?"

Ash honestly couldn't answer that question, but wasn't given time to anyway as Dean stood up and gestured for her to do the same. "Forget about him," he scoffed lightly. "Besides, we still have some unfinished business, I think."

"And what's that?" Ash asked in honest confusion until he leant down to kiss her properly, not cutting it short either like last time. This time she had the slight consciousness to actually feel what was going on and finding herself agreeing to it, as she slowly moved one hand over his shoulder. Dean almost groaned inwardly; he had been dying to do that since he last kissed her, and frankly kissing was as wonderful now as it used to be; even if it was quite a distant memory since before the war. Something he didn't mind to start up again.

"Right… that business," Ash commented airily after they pulled away. Thought she felt more awkward than she had in a long time. The kiss on the cheek had mostly been playful amusement or even an impulsive action… now suddenly it felt a lot more serious.

"If I didn't know better I'd say you're flustered," he pointed out, clearly enjoying the fact. Ash smacked his side quickly and he sighed, amused; so much for a much younger woman who was bound to get physical in her frustration. She clearly paused in thought afterwards though, looking confused. They had just been standing on the spot, with a few onlookers, something she noticed first now and she felt a bit horrified about that. So much for _not _creating rumors!

"Exactly… where does this leave us?" she asked seriously, looking back at Dean.

"Beyond your awkward attitude?" he arched an eyebrow. "I thought it was pretty obvious, Ash." He had to play on her insecurity to hide his own; he really was out of practice when it came to relationships, but he sure as hell wasn't admitting that. And a relationship seemed to be exactly what they were heading towards and his last one hadn't ended particularly well so there was some bad experience talking there too.

"Let's just see where it goes, hm?" he suggested instead. "Now, I believe we have an evening to enjoy. Perhaps one of the card games?" Dean offered her his arm again and she accepted it; differently than before really, leaning more onto him.

"Gambling sounds beneath you, Dean," Ash grinned quickly.

"It has its uses… good place to study people and practice one's social skills," he shrugged. "Something you sorely need."

"Be nice."

"If you think this changes anything, you're quite wrong, my dear."

Ash rolled her eyes but frankly, she was glad to hear that. She didn't want big changes; she didn't like them and right now she was quite content with just feeling a bit relieved and happy for the moment.

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><p>The next day wasn't all that different from before; Ash had gone back to the Lucky 38 after the… 'gambling' if one could call it that, and she did <em>not <em>carry any extra caps with her. Lack of luck or intelligence didn't matter; playing with cards had never been her thing, not even with Dean there trying to teach her. Something he gave up on quickly.

Ash was extremely happy to be back in her own proper clothes, as she rummaged in the kitchen for breakfast before heading up to Mr. House. She had not forgotten that Desmond character, despite Dean's best attempts at distraction. As she smiled to herself in recalling that, Mr. House's screen blinked to life.

"I was expecting you to take the delivery back to Jacobstown," came House's voice straight away and Ash cursed loudly. She had forgotten that entirely. What was worse, she had left the package in Dean's room; she certainly hoped he hadn't touched it. How the hell did Mr. House know the package had been lost too…

"I will, but I have an urgent message for you," she hastily said, hoping to brush that subject away fast.

"Very well, what?"

"I was approached by a man yesterday. A ghoul called Desmond Lockheart. He demanded an audience with you." For once Mr. House remained silent for awhile, his screen flickering briefly.

"I see. At what time?"

"This afternoon…" Ash replied slowly and with a frown at House's unexpected silence.

"Very well, that should be no issue. Tell Victor to escort him up here when he arrives."

"I… won't question that decision, Mr. House. Just be… cautious. He seemed rather vicious."

"I'm well aware of Mr. Lockheart's manners. Was it anything else?" His tone was condescending, as if her advice on caution was ridiculous at best.

"No…"

"Then I believe you have a delivery to finish."

Ash nodded quickly before leaving him and heading back down to her own apartment, basically heading straight into her room. Mr. House's hadn't sounded surprised at all. He almost never did, but he rarely sounded like he actually knew someone. But who knew; they were both from before the war, for all she knew they had met before. But damn if that didn't make her more curious.

Raul came after her after a few minutes, looking at her quickly moving about in the room, throwing things into her bag.

"Are you going somewhere again?" he asked puzzled.

"Yes. I need to get that package back to Jacobstown. The one Angryl stole. Dean and I got it back from him yesterday but I forgot about it until now," Ash replied, stuffing some spare ammo into the bag as well before dropping it by the door to reach for her ranger jacket.

"I… was hoping you'd come along?" she asked him afterwards, as she put it on, looking at him. "Last time… well, something knocked me out for over a day; I don't trust myself going there alone now."

"Sure, boss," the ghoul shrugged. "Not bringing your boyfriend with you then?"

"He's _not _my boyfriend, Raul," Ash protested quickly, but she was already red in the face at the mere idea.

"_Of course_ he isn't, boss," Raul continued unhelpfully, ignoring her glare. "Let me just get my things." As he left Ash, she looked over her room, her eyes landing on the gold bar in the shelf. It was going to take some time getting used to the whole… relationship idea, she mused, wondering what Raul would really think about it. She shook her head abruptly, waiting for him to get ready.

Ash had not expected to find Victor with company as they exited the Lucky 38; the ghoul from the night before standing in front of him, looking as bitter as before. Raul exchanged a glance with Ash who nodded; she had of course already explained the situation to him.

"Ah, the courier," Desmond sneered slowly. "Have you actually delivered… or will I be sadly disappointed today?"

"Victor will escort you up to Mr. House," she replied in the same bored tone that the ghoul had used. "It's alright, Victor. Mr. House's orders," she added, as if the securitron hadn't been contacted already: Mr. House usually just entertained the idea of her handing out his commands, as he had full contact with his securitrons.

"Alright, partner. If you'll follow me," Victor told Desmond who still hadn't let go of his sneering expression, as if all this amused him greatly. "_Enjoy_ your trip," he added towards Ash and Raul as they walked down the stairs and Ash looked over her shoulder at him as the doors closed.

"I don't trust that… man for one second," she muttered to Raul.

"Looked like a typical businessman to me," he shrugged in response. "I mean, not the worst I've seen, boss."

"Well, good thing it's Mr. House he wants a hold of. Come on, I need to pick up the package from Dean's room." Raul arched an eyebrow at her under the hat.

"It was safest in there, with a locked door and all!" she protested abruptly. "Shut up."

"I didn't say anything, boss!" The ghoul sighed as she walked ahead but he was smirking nevertheless. Even if he didn't approve of whatever was going on with Dean, it was her choice. He just hoped it would end better than the other women in his life had.

He followed her to the Tops' theater, even all the way to Dean's door on which she knocked loudly. Dean opened rather quickly, his eyes landing on Raul fast.

"Hello, _peasant_," he said, before nodding to Ash. "The package, I presume?"

"Please," she nodded as Dean disappeared briefly before returning with it, dropping it in her hands. It looked untouched; although she wasn't sure whether to be surprised or feel guilty for noting that in the first place.

"At least you're clever enough not to go off on your own," Dean told Ash as she carefully tucked the package into her bag. "Wouldn't want you fainting again…"

"Concerned?" she asked amused, as he scoffed.

"Hardly. _Raul_ here can't hold up much of intelligent discussions but I dare say he knows how to shot."

"Want to see how well?" Raul asked tersely. Ash put her hand on his chest, moving them both away from the door a bit. She figured that Raul would still keep a sore side to Dean after he learned about the Legion… incident back in Goodsprings, because she rarely saw Raul remotely annoyed about a comment like that so fast.

"Let's just take your word for it. We'll be back in a few days, Dean," she said quickly, feeling oddly dismal about leaving him behind. "And if you see Angryl just… leave him be, alright?"

"Unless he comes knocking on my door. In which case I'll make no promises," Dean replied drily, leaning on the doorframe with his shoulder, picking up a cigarette with his free hand.

"Well, I tried. Bye for now." She gave Raul a light nudge to get moving, casting one last look on Dean over her shoulder. The ghoul returned the gaze before lighting the cigarette and then went back into his room with a displeased grumble.

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><p><strong>Hope it wasn't too cringe worthy, still need practice writing anything near romance.<strong>

**As for Desmond; it's more of a fun thing and a reason to write some snark between him and Dean, even if they don't know each other. Fun times. Next chapter might in fact be all about poor old Dean.**

**Thanks for reading.**


	36. Announcement from the author

As you can expect, I've stopped updating this fanfic. I've tried to make this known through other means without actually having to post a chapter; since I don't wanna be that person who tricks people into thinking there's a new chapter... And the last reviews have been anonymous so I haven't been able to publicly reply to them either to say something.

Anyway; I do have a recently started up tumblr blog where I'll write with Ash and Dean; as well as accept asks and roleplaying. It's where I've been most of the time in general, as I find it easier to just RP these days than writing a strict story setting; I can't do it well at the moment...

The blog will somewhat pick up after the fanfic; and most of what happened will still have actually happened.

You can find it at familiar-faces-in-ash. tumblr. com

The link is in my profile too since FFnet doesn't allow for actual url typing, so there's extra spaces in it and what not. Otherwise go to my DA, because it has the link.

If anyone's still around, I hope you can understand that priorities change during one's life and I have announced it in several places; just not with a chapter. I wish FFnet, had a better way of making notifications.


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